Help
by Ms.Stery
Summary: Derek and Spencer become guardians and now the whole BAU has two new teens to deal with. Pairings: Morgan/Garcia, Reid/JJ, Hotch/Prentiss.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! This is my first Criminal Minds story. I got the idea while watching CM yesterday, and ended up writing till 3am. Please excuse the extreme grammatical errors, I was sleepy. I'm not sure if I like the idea, and I want to hear your opinion. I know Derek's family history is a little off, but I had to change it to make the story work. I tried to keep it as true to the show as possible. If you don't get anything, ask me. My writing style can be kind of odd at times. I wrote a ton of chapters, so there's a lot more to this story. If you guys like it, let me know and I'll post the other parts. The pairings that happen in the future of this story are Morgan/Garcia, Reid/JJ, and Hotch/Prentiss. There's also some Isabella/OC stuff, too. I'll now shut up and let you read.**

"Happy Birthday, Bells!" Derek, his mom and his two sisters yelled in unison. Bells smiled softly, her eyes still trained on the 15 tiny flames. After staring for a couple more seconds, she squeezed her eyes shut and blew with all her might, getting all the candles out in one blow. Everyone cheered and his mom began to pluck the candles from the cake, dropping them with a plop onto a tiny dish.

Derek looked down on his newly 15-year-old niece, Isabella, who smiled back up at him. She looked genuinely happy for the first time since her mom, Lucy, passed away six months ago after a four-year long battle with cancer. After Lucy died, Bells had moved in with Derek's mother, for Bell's father (Derek's older brother), had skipped town soon after finding out Lucy was pregnant and hadn't been heard of since. Ashamed of his brother's cowardly actions, Derek had jumped in as the father figure in Isabella's life. He had flown in for almost all of Isabella's recitals, games and birthdays. By the time she could walk, she and Derek were joined at the hip and it had remained constant throughout her life.

Truthfully, she could've passed for Derek's own child. People told her everyday, if not more than that. Everything from her looks to her personality mirrored his, much to his enjoyment. She had his dark skin and big, almost black eyes. She was short and small built, but when she was stuck on her way, you could see her determination burn in her eyes so clearly that it would give you goosebumps. She had a tough, I-can-take-care-of-anything-myself exterior, but deep she was down extremely tender and would do anything to help another person, especially one she cared for. She loved to tease, yet could convince anyone she was innocent and sweet with a bat of her lashes and a toss of her long black hair. She was a flirt, maybe even a bigger flirt than Derek himself. She was his smaller, feistier, female clone. And she loved it. Every since she was a child she had copied him and now that she understood what he did for a living, she became fascinated with it and wanted to learn more. Throughout the years, she had flown out to see the BAU team over the holidays. Immediately the team fell in love with her and she returned the affection to them and the job. So much, in fact, that after just a couple of weeks, she wanted to join the BAU the minute she was old enough, much to Derek's dismay. He didn't like the thought of his sweet, little niece seeing the dark, disturbing images that he faced everyday. He figured it was just a temporary interest and figured it would pass. Overall, Derek was a big part of her life, so when anyone told her she was just like him, which was often, she couldn't help but crack a smile.

However, since the death of her mother, she had lost a bit of her personality and spunk, and Derek felt that it was his responsibility to bring it back. She was like a little sister or a daughter to him and he missed her not acting the real Isabelle. Derek hadn't got to see her much and it bothered him. Her only immediate family was gone and he wasn't even there to help her through the rough aftermath. He always tried to fly in as often as possible, but with his job being so time consuming, his visits had been scarce. He tried to keep an eye on her through emails to both Bells and his mother. The emails from Bells seemed normal, but according to his mother, Bells had been going through a struggle. She was quiet and kept to herself. She hadn't made any friends at her new school and spent all of her free time listening to her iPod, filling up multiple journals with her constant writings and wandering around the house. She kept perfect grades, a little too perfect from a girl her age, and just given up and staying in contact with her old friends. The only person she ever cared to communicate with willingly was Derek's mom, Fran, his sisters, Desiree and Sarah, and above all, Derek himself. His mother said Bells constantly talked about Derek, quoting his emails and retelling his adventures to everyone in the house. He wanted to be able to see her, so he came down for her 15th birthday.

It had been fun two weeks, full of family memories. They had played cards, watched movies and stayed up until dawn together every night laughing until their abs hurt. Derek could already see the sparks in her eyes returning. In fact, by her actual birthday, Isabella was back to her old, post-incident self. Unfortunately, with his departure back to Quantico being tomorrow night, he feared that the sparks would fade without his presence. And it worried him beyond belief. For now, he decided, he was going to focus on the present, as it was much easier.

He grabbed a knife off the counter, then made his way to the cake, cutting it into slices and placing the pieces onto five little plates. He handed one to Isabella.

"Here you go, little lady. It's red velvet, your favorite. It's guaranteed to be delicious as it's made by yours truly, the master chef." He bragged, flashing a cocky smiled in her direction.

She giggled, picking up a fork. "I think I'll be the judge of that, thank you very much. And I'm not a "little" lady anymore, mister. So stop calling me that!" She faux-scolded.

"I'll stop calling you little when you make it over five feet, Sassypants!" He teased.

She jabbed her fork in his direction. "Hey, I'm five foot four, for your info!" She yelled.

"Quit fighting and eat your cake, you guys!" His sister, Desiree, scolded.

"Okay, okay. But Derek, I give you credit, you were right." Bells said with a mouthful of cake.

"About what?" Derek questioned, genuinely wondering what she was talking about.

"This cake is awesome." She stated, smiling.

**Not much so far. The next chap give you more info. But, what did you think? Let me know! I don't care if it's positive or negative, as long as it's helpful! Thanks.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the continuation! Happy reading. :]**

They spent the rest of the night eating cake and flipping through old photo albums, reminiscing in the past. Soon, everyone became drowsy and decided to settle down for the night. After goodnights, Derek returned to his room. He changed out of his jeans and slid on a pair of pajama pants and a clean, gray shirt. He brushed and flossed his teeth before he settled down in bed, only to find he wasn't tired anymore. He brought out his laptop, which he hadn't had time to check over the course of the trip and smiled when he discovered that Penelope had changed his background _again_ to a collage of the goofy pictures that they took one day out of sheer boredom. He smirked as glanced at each one. _God, this girl is crazy, _he thought, as he looked at a particularly funny one with the two of them giving each other bunny ears, both of them in mid-laugh. His thoughts were interrupted by a light knock on the door.

He whipped his head around to see a pajama-clad Isabella standing in the door, looking slightly nervous.

"Hey, baby girl. What's the matter?" He asked softly.

"Um, I have something to ask you, and uh, it's been on my mind for a long time now and it's crazy and I know you may say no, but it's something I've really thought about and I think it would be good for me and-" She rambled.

Derek cut her off. "Spit it out, Bella." He said with a chuckle, patting the bed next to him.

She hesitantly sat down. "Ummm…" She stalled, earning a questioning look from Derek. "I want to come back to Virginia with you. For good." She finally said.

He was shocked. "Oh, sweetie, you know I love you, but…Virginia isn't the place for a kid. I mean-" He began.

Now it was her turn to cut him off. "I'm not a child!" She exclaimed, suddenly full of words. "Derek, think about it. There's nothing for me in this town. I mean, I love Grandma Fran, Desiree and Sarah, but really…I have no place to expand. No room to grow and learn. If I really want to work for the BAU, which I do, then what better place to enlighten myself then over there, with you? And, at the risk of sounding conceited, the team loves me! I'll fit right in. And-"

Derek put his hand up. This was too much. "Isabella! What are you talking about? Working for the BAU? I thought that was just some sort of phase. You need to stay here. Get some friends your own age. Act like a teen. No. No way! You need to stay put. Virginia isn't a good place for you. You won't be able to handle all the sick things you see. I can't let you. You're just a little girl." He said, his voice rising.

"What? When will you realize I'm not a baby! I can handle it! I am fifteen years old!" She yelled, her frustration apparent.

"Exactly, you are just fifteen. There is no way you are coming. Visits are fine, but living there? I wont have time to watch you or take care of you." He bellowed, in full-blown fight mode now.

"Will you just listen? I'm old enough to take care of myself! I don't need watching!" She pleaded.

"No, Isabella. And that's final. Go to bed." He said, his voice loud and firm.

"What is all the fuss about?" A voice yelled.

Both of them turned in shock to see Grandma Fran standing in the doorway, looking stern.

"She wants to come back to Virginia with me." Derek practically whispered, his voice shaking.

Fran's eyes widened, but she quickly recovered. She turned to Isabella. "Is this true?" She questioned. Isabelle nodded. "Well, maybe it's not a bad idea…"

Derek wanted to scream. So he did. "MOM! Come on. Not you too. That's crazy. Quantico is no place for her. I can't take care of her."

"Now, Derek, think about it…" Fran started, but she was cut off by Isabella's quivering voice.

"When did I become such a burden? I just wanted to be able to do something with myself. But it's obvious from your number of visits and your reaction that I don't mean that much anymore." She whispered, her big eyes filling with tears.

Derek softened. "Hey, Bells, you know I didn't…" He said, moving closer. She pushed him away and ran from the room. Things were silent until they heard a sob and a slam.

"Now look at what you've done. You mean everything to that girl." Fran scolded, worry etched onto her face.

"Mom, I…"

"Don't start with me, mister." She said cutting him off. "Just listen." So he did.

-:-

Isabella ran to her room crying. She collapsed onto the bed, sobbing. She couldn't get the look of pure rage he gave her out of her mind.

She could hear loud mumbles from the other room, but she didn't bother listening. There was no use, anyways. Derek was leaving tomorrow night and it was obvious she wasn't going along. _Ugh. All that packing gone to waste_. She thought, referring to how she packed up all of her bags in hope that her plan would work. It hadn't. She let tears flow. She knew she was being she was being dramatic, but she didn't care. He just didn't get how badly she wanted to go to Virginia. To get to explore the world of the FBI that she found so fascinating. To finally feel like doing something other than sitting around listening to music or walking around the streets of this boring town. She took a breath, suddenly feeling drained. She would just have to deal. She closed her eyes, letting the slurred, abstract images of dream carry her to sleep.

Morning came too soon for everybody. Everyone had stayed up late the night before, especially Derek and Fran. Isabella wasn't even sure if she was ready to face Derek yet, but the smell of chocolate chip pancakes and the sound of her empty stomach rumbling lured her out of her room. She trudged into the kitchen, cursing her "teenage-ness" for making her hungry all the time, to find a very sleepy Derek Morgan standing in front of the stove, adding a final pancake to the stack on the side of the stove. She plopped down at the kitchen table. Grandma Fran walked in and began setting the places at the table, smiling weakly at Isabella. He turned off the stove, picked up the plate and turned around. He seemed a little surprised that Isabella was awake, but he just strode over to the table. He set down the pancakes and Desiree and Sarah walked into the kitchen, both very drowsy, and sat down at the table silently. Just as Sarah reached for a pancake, Derek reached out and slapped her hand out of the way.

"Ah, not yet. I have to say something first." He said sternly. Isabella got a little curious at what he had to say. "Yesterday night, as you guys probably heard, Isabella and I got into a bit of an argument. And Isabella, I apologize, but I didn't agree with what you were saying. And after a long discussion, Fran and I decided that…" He paused, staring at Isabella, who was preparing for punishment. "…You are coming with me, Isabella. To Virginia. For good." He finished. Isabella took a moment to let it soak in. She glanced around taking in everyone's looks of surprise (Sarah and Desiree) and excitement (Derek and Fran).

"R-r-really?" She stuttered, on the verge of screaming.

"Really." Derek said, smiling.

"THANK YOU!" She screamed, happy tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Oh, don't thank me, baby girl. Thank your Grandma and the wonderful Penelope Garcia. Without her, we wouldn't have been able to figure this out on such short notice. Tickets, notifying the team, school transfers, all that stuff wouldn't have been done without her exquisite computer and phone skills." He explained.

Isabella squealed, something she rarely did, and threw her arms around Derek. She began running around hugging her aunts and grandma, uttering how much she loved them and how much she would miss them in their ears. Derek watched the overexcited teenager run around with a smile on his face. _What did I just get myself into…?_

**Love it? Hate it? Tell me!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! Here's new chapter. But first, I want to add that this story is as if Haley, Jack, Kevin Lynch, Will and Henry never existed. Some may make appearances, but right now, they aren't here. Happy reading!**

The rest of the day was spent saying goodbyes, gathering schoolbooks, planning and such. Packing wasn't an issue because Isabella was already packed. When Derek watched her pull out the multiple already-full suitcases from her closet, he shot her a knowing look. _Of course she would pack ahead of time._ He thought. Before she knew it, Isabella was at the airport, saying her final, teary goodbyes about to board a private jet (A PRIVATE JET!) and fly off to her new start. She gave her aunts and grandma a fleeting look before ascending up the stairs to the plane, Derek following closely behind.

Soon, the two of them were flying 16,000 feet above the ground and Isabella felt like she was going to spontaneously combust from pure elation. This was really happening! That is, until she heard Derek call her name in his serious voice.

"Yes?" She answered, looking away from the window.

"Okay, time to get serious, missy. I have to explain to you how this whole ordeal is going to work." He said. She nodded eagerly. "Here's the deal. Starting next Monday, you will start at Summit Academy. Yes, you have a uniform. Class starts at nine and ends at three-thirty. You have a protected car that will drop you off in the mornings and drive you to the BAU after school. You will hang out there until I finish for the day. Be respectful and careful with everyone and everything. If I am staying late, your driver will take you home and he will stay there with you until I return. When I have to leave the state to go on cases, you will stay with Garcia. She has a room set up for you at her house. I also gave her permission to set up a room for you inside my house, too. I can only imagine what it will contain. She said it would be prepared once we're home. I'm not sure how she can do that so fast, but hey, it's Garcia. Once you get home, you can unpack and make yourself at home. I will try to be home on weekends. I want you to keep up all A's. If I see a drop in grades, then I assume you are getting too distracted and you will go straight home after class. Being at the BAU is a privilege. Understand?" He said, sounding like a guardian for once.

"A protected car? And I don't get to go on cases? Awe, why not? I…" She trailed off once she saw his expression. "I mean, yes sir!"

He smirked, "Oh, and one more thing, Bella?"

"Yes?" She asked.

"Have fun. I'm glad to have you." He responded, poking her in the nose.

-:-

After hours of anticipation, they began their descent. Isabella was shaking with anxiety. Derek just chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. They climbed out of the jet, expecting to see an empty gate but instead, there stood JJ, Emily Prentiss, Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia, David Rossi, Aaron Hotchner, who was holding flowers, and a tall blonde kid who Derek didn't recognize.

"Hey!" Isabella exclaimed, running over and wrapping her arms around Garcia, who laughed and hugged her back, telling her all about the fun they were going to have. Isabella then moved over to JJ, David and Emily, who hugged her, asking how she was.

She then walked over to Aaron who handed her the flowers and whispered "Welcome, Bella." In his quiet voice. Isabella giggled and hugged him.

Hotch walked over to Derek who stood off to the side, watching.

"You guys didn't have to do all of this." He said. "You guys will spoil her."

"We figured she could use a little welcoming. A child without a parents could always use some extra love." Hotch explained.

"Hey, Hotch?" Derek asked, furrowing his brow. "Who's the kid?"

"Oh, that's a child of one of Reid's mothers friends. Andrew. His mother was in the asylum with Spencer's mother. He had a break down and tried to kill herself. She overdosed on her pills. Thankfully, they saved her before she died, but she's in a coma. Spencer took pity and the kid is with him for a while. He's a good kid. Hangs around the BAU a lot. Kind of…uh…ahead of his years. Like Reid." Hotch explained.

"Ahead of his years? So he's a genius?" Derek questioned.

"No, not nearly as smart as Reid. He is just…" Hotch began, at a loss of words.

"Overly smart?" Derek tried, smiled. Hotch nodded. "Looks like we got two new kiddos to deal with, hope the BAU isn't turning into some sort of teen hangout spot…"

Hotch laughed. "Hardly. I'm just trying to make it easier for them." He clarified.

They both stood there as they watched Spencer, who absolutely loved Isabella, give her a bone-crushing hug. He then turned to Andrew and introduced him. The two shook hands smiling. Isabella chatted along with them cheerily, laughing and finally feeling like she was where she belonged. Derek smiled. His mother was right; maybe this wasn't such a bad idea.

-:-

Dave claimed to need his "beauty rest", but the other 8 split up into two black SUV's and headed to Derek's house. Derek drove Spencer's car, which contained Isabella, Andrew, Spencer and Garcia, while Hotch drove a car with all the others. The minute Derek started the car, Isabella launched into questioning about…well, everything. She asked about everything from whether Garcia had finally gotten Prince William's phone number or not to everyone's favorite colors. Everyone immediately became engaged in the conversation. Bella's ability to charm people never ceased to amaze him. She asked Andrew about himself, discovering he went to the school she would soon attend. Morgan smiled, glad to see she had already made friends with a kid her age.

"So what classes are you taking?" Morgan heard Isabella ask.

"Um, I'm Physics, English III, Pre-Cal and…" Andrew began, struggling to remember.

"Wait, how old are you?" Isabella asked, exasperated.

"Fifteen?" Andrew answered, confused.

"Those are 11th grade classes!" She practically yelled.

"I know." Andrew responded flatly.

Bella stared at him for a second, then giggled.

"What?" Andrew demanded, still lost.

"Oh…nothing." Bella teased, looking out the window. "It's just…your kind of a nerd."

"I am not!" Andrew shot back.

"Yeah, you are. 11th grade classes as a freshman? That's almost as nerdy as Spencer here." Isabella said, smirking.

"Hey!" Spencer yelled. The whole team laughed and Andrew pouted.

"I am not a nerd." He huffed, looking out the window.

Or maybe they won't be friends... Derek thought, pulling into his driveway.

"We're here!" Derek announced, shutting off the car. Isabella quickly unbuckled her belt and leaped out of the car. She walked around to the back of the car and began unloading all of her suitcases.

"Whoa there, little girl. How bout Reid and I take care if your bags and you head upstairs with the others and let Garcia show you your new room?" Derek said, pulling the suitcases from her grip.

"Really?" She asked, her eyes glowing. He nodded.

"We'll meet you up there." He replied, smiling.

"Yes! Come on, sweetheart! Come check out what Aunt Penelope made for you!" Garcia said, grabbing Isabella's arm and yanking her up to the door.

When they got to the door, Penelope took a key out of her pocket and let them in, navigating her way to the guest room like a pro with Bella, Emily, Hotch, JJ and Andrew tagging along behind her.

"Now, before I let you in, I must warn you. It's awesome. And I did it all by myself." Penelope announced, grinning proudly.

"Hey, not true! Jayje and I contributed!" Emily countered.

"And Andrew and Spence tried to carry the furniture. Though, they weren't much help…" JJ added, smiling a bit at the end.

"And I helped with the colors!" Hotch exclaimed, earning a collective questioning look from the team, except Garcia. "What? I have a great eye for colors…" He added quietly.

"Okay, maybe I got some help from those guys, but it was mostly me." Penelope said, winking.

"Just show her the room already." Andrew yelled.

"Quiet, _dorkypoo_." Penelope teased. "This deserves some built-up!"

"I'm not a dork!" Andrew exclaimed, pouting again.

"Andrew's right. He isn't a dork. A dork is actually a name for a type of Australian fish or slang for the word penis. So, no, you aren't a dork. However, you are a little smart for your age. Therefore, you're a nerd. You've got to accept it. When you accept your flaws, it makes it less enjoyable to tease you. People won't stop, but they will tease you less frequently and harshly when they do. I learned this the hard way." Rambled a strained voice behind them.

The glanced behind them to see that the voice belonged to Reid, who was struggling to carry three of Isabella's suitcases down the hall. Morgan followed him, carrying the other four suitcases with ease. They set down the suitcases with a thud.

"Actually, no, Reid. It doesn't because, I know you know you're a nerd, yet it is still quiet enjoyable to tell you that if you ever say something remotely close to what you just told us while you're on a date, the girl who your on a date with will flee the resturaunt quicker that you can solve a crossword puzzle. Which is really quick." Morgan mocked, wrapping an arm around Reid's shoulders. "And that's a fact, Pretty Boy."

Reid rolled his eyes as everyone tried to keep their giggles to themselves. They all failed terribly.

"Let's just show Bella her room." Reid said, trying to change the subject.

"Okay, but before we do, remember, I haven't seen this yet." Morgan chuckled, walking over to Bells.

Penelope shot him a fake-glare. "She will love it! C'est magnifique!"

"Open the door!" Bella blurted, excited and impatient. JJ laughed and turned the doorknob, revealing the room.

Bella saw inside and gasped. The walls were painted a deep olive green and were covered of black and white framed photos of her past visits. There was a small dark brown (almost black) desk, covered in tiny trinkets and such. On the wall directly across from them, there was a big bed (the same color as the desk). Above it were the letter I.A.M. (Isabella Ashley Morgan) painted in black cursive. On one wall there was a TV and across the room from it, there was a long dark brown couch, covered in fluffy white pillows. There was a matching fluffy white rug on the dark wood floors. It was perfect.

She turned around and wrapped her arms around Garcia. "Thank you!" She exclaimed, burying her head in her shoulder.

"Your welcome, cupcake." Penelope said smiling.

Bella made her rounds, giving everyone a hug, thanking them for all the hardwork they put into her welcome. When she got to Andrew, he blushed and awkwardly held out a hand for her to shake.

Isabella groaned. "Seriously? I don't have cooties." She said, grabbing his hand and pulling him into a hug. He seemed a bit shocked at first, but after a second he softened and hugged her back.

Derek smiled. That was the Bella he knew and loved. One minute she was innocent and thanking everybody, the next minute she was feisty and playful. He had missed that.

They put Bella's suitcases into her new bedroom and made their way to the kitchen. It was a Friday, so the team decided to stay late and have a sort of welcome party for Bella. Derek ordered a ridiculously large amount of Chinese food for the group. They chatted while they ate, busting out laughing every time Reid or Andrew tried to use chopsticks.

"Wow, you're like a mini-Spencer, Andrew." Emily declared, watching the blonde teenager attempt to pick up a piece of chicken with his fork. He eventually got frustrated and just speared the piece of meat. He then bit it off the stick, smiling contently as he finally chewed his food.

Reid piped up. "Hey now, I didn't influence that! Andrew was already hopelessly lost with chopsticks, even before I met him!" He stated defensively.

"No need to explain, Spence. We understand. Even geniuses have to suck at something. Plus, watching you try to grab food with those sticks it kind of cute." JJ cooed, poking his nose. Spencer went red.

Everyone finished eating and they decided to wrap up the night with a movie.

After much debate, they decided on Mrs. Doubtfire, as it hilarious and enjoyable to everyone. They moved to the living room, settling down while Morgan went to locate the movie and make popcorn. Bella and Andrew immediately claimed the main couch, bickering over who was taking up more room. Garcia plopped onto the tiny couch and everyone knew that Morgan would automatically sit next to her. Emily sat on the floor, her back leaning against the couch. Spencer sat in the armchair and within minutes, JJ was seated beneath him, her head leaning on his legs. Hotch walked in to the room and seeing there was no more seats, the sat down next to Emily on the floor. Morgan walked in with the popcorn and the DVD. He placed the popcorn on the table and put on the show before claiming his usual seat next to Garcia.

At first, the group only half paid attention, preferring to throw popcorn at Spencer and laugh amongst themselves, as usual, but soon the movie had the exhausted team mesmerized and they all began to zone into it. When the credits began to roll, Morgan clicked off the TV and stood up. Everyone slowly untangled themselves, getting up and stretching.

"Well, that was fun." Morgan said, yawning. He looked at the time. 1:03 A.M.

"Yeah, maybe even a little too fun for some of us." JJ replied, motioning to the couch.

There lay Bella and Andrew, fast asleep. Andrew was sprawled against the right armrest and Bella was lying on his left arm. His hand was around Bella's shoulders.

"When did the "my side-your side" battle turn into that?" Morgan wondered, a bit shocked.

"Awe, they're so cute! Like little puppies…" Penelope cooed adoringly.

"We should probably wake them up…" Spencer said, not really sure how they had gotten like that.

"Yeah." Morgan replied. He poked Andrew's side. "Psst, buddy, wake up."

Andrew groaned and attempted to sit up, realizing that there was something on top of him. The movement caused Bella to stir. Her eyes fluttered and she stared for a second at the "pillow" beneath her. Then she realized.

She shot up. "Get off of me, nerd!" She demanded, pushing him. He fell with a thump to the floor.

"Ugh! Hey!" He said, rubbing his head. "What the heck what that for?"

"You had your creepy arm on me!" She complained, rubbing her shoulder.

"And you made fun of me for the hug thing? I thought it was established that we didn't have cooties!" He replied.

"That was different. That was a gesture of appreciation. I wasn't snuggling up to your arm as you slept!" She yelled, looking down on him.

"Um, no. YOU were laying on ME and that was the only comfortable way to keep my arm!" He countered, standing up.

"No, it's not. That was all you. Right, guys?" She asked, turning to the team, who was watching the scene before them, smirks playing on all their faces.

"Sorry baby girl, but I think Andrew may be right. You were on sleeping on him…" Derek began, rubbing the back of his neck.

Isabella's cheeks turned pink. "Aw, come on! You can't seriously think that…" She trailed off when she realized there was no chance of her winning this battle. "Fine. I'm sorry, Andrew." She said, her head down in embarrassment.

"It's okay." He mumbled, a little embarrassed himself.

The team exchanged glances and tried not to laugh.

Hotch broke the awkward silence. "It's about time I head out. Anyone need a ride?" He asked.

"Oh, I do!" Prentiss said, walking over to where he stood.

"Okay. Anyone else? JJ?" He asked, glancing over at the blonde.

"Oh, I'm covered. Spencer offered me a ride home. Right, Spence?" She said, looking at the genius for confirmation. Their eyes met for a second and JJ smiled.

"Yep!" Spencer replied, a goofy smile playing at his lips. Penelope and Prentiss exchanged a look.

"Okay." Hotch said, suspicion laced in his tone. "We'll be going now, then. Thanks Morgan, Bella. I had a great time."

"Anytime, man." Morgan said. He looked at Bella. She was having a hushed conversation with Andrew. She seemed to be scolding him in a whisper. When she felt Morgan's eyes on her, she lifted her head.

"Oh! Um, Thanks for everything, you guys. It really means a lot." She smiled and walked over to them. "Really. All of you made me feel so welcomed. I appreciate it."

"It was our pleasure, Bella." Emily said. The rest of them team nodded.

Hotch, Emily and Garcia left, leaving only Morgan, JJ, Reid and Andrew. Spencer and JJ thanked Morgan and turned to leave before realizing they were forgetting Andrew. Spencer whipped around, expecting to see Andrew in the living room, but both Bella and Andrew were gone.

"Where'd they go?" Spencer asked.

Derek glanced around. "I don't know…Let me go check her room." He announced, before speeding down the hall to Bella's room.

Derek heard voices inside, so he opened the door. Andrew and Bella were squished onto her desk chair and her laptop was open on the desk.

Bella threw her hands in the air. "HA! I told you so! Pay up, little boy!" Bella cheered, holding out a hand to Andrew.

"Dang!" He cursed, reaching into his wallet and slapping a five-dollar bill into Bella's waiting hand.

"What's going on, kids?" Morgan questioned, walking into the room.

Bella turned around. "Oh, Andrew here said that Fuji apples were from a small country off Australia, but I knew that they are from a city in Japan, so I bet him five bucks he was wrong. I'm now five dollars richer." She explained, shooting Andrew a _take that _look. He stuck his tongue out at her.

"So, why are you in here?" Morgan asked.

"I had to prove I was right." Bella said. Morgan stared at her, still not understanding.

"Wikipedia." Andrew added, pointing to the laptop.

"Ohhhh." Morgan nodded, finally getting it. "Well, Spencer is getting ready to leave…"

"Oh! Sorry. Bye, Bells." Andrew stood up, preparing to leave.

"I'll walk you out." Bella decided, standing up as well.

"Well, come on. Spencer and JJ are waiting." Derek said, ushering the teens out of the room and following them down the hall.

There was laughter coming from the living room. They walked in and saw Spencer and JJ laughing uncontrollably. JJ was holding on to Spencer's arm with one hand and wiping tears from her eyes with the other. Andrew, Derek and Bella watched, giving one another looks and raising eyebrows. When JJ and Reid realized they were no longer alone, they both immediately shut up. JJ dropped her hand from Spencer's arm.

"I just…" JJ began, but seeing the _Don't bother making excuses_ looks she was getting from Andrew, Bella and Derek, she stopped.

"We, um, b-better get going-g now." Spencer stuttered, looking down.

"Of course you do." Derek said, earning a glare from JJ. Derek just smirked and shrugged.

"Bye, Bella." Andrew mumbled, waving.

"Bye, Andrew. Nice hustling- I mean, meeting you." Isabella replied, grinning.

JJ laughed and poked Andrew shoulder. "You are practically whipped. And you just met her." She pointed out.

Andrew just shook his head, causing everyone to laugh at his expense for the 100th time for the evening. They eventually left, leaving only Derek and Bella behind. The duo began to straighten up the living room, adjusting pillows and picking up stray popcorn. When they finished, they said goodnights and headed off to bed, exhausted, but ultimately happy.

**Well, that was really long. Read and review, please. :] I'm leaving tonight for three-week trip, so I may not be able to post for a bit, but if you guys review a lot, I might just post the next chapter before I go! And if there are any plot/grammar mistakes, call me out on it and it will be fixed. Thank you!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! I'm back! Here's the new chapter. Tell me what you think.**

The rest of the weekend was spent unpacking and shopping for all the things Bella would need for school. By Sunday, Bella was having a nervous breakdown on account of starting at a new school in the morning, so Derek decided to plan a little surprise for her. He went out and bought all the ingredients to make Bella her favorite dinner-chicken pot pie. While Bella showered, he got to work mixing and baking, determined to make a feast kit for a king. Or a princess, in this case.

-:-

Half an hour later Bella stepped out of her bathroom, freshly dressed in her PJs and towel dying her hair. She immediately was overwhelmed by the smell of something…burning?

"Derek?" She called, getting no response. She dropped her towel on the ground and ran down the hall. She followed the smell all the way to kitchen only to find Derek, dressed in an apron and oven mitts, frantically fanning an unidentifiable black _something _in a pan that was emitting thick, dark smoke.

"What happened?" She demanded, alarmed.

"No time to explain, just help! There's an extinguisher underneath the sink!" He explained, still fanning.

Bella ripped open the under-sink cabinet and grabbed the extinguisher. She pulled out the little metal pin, pointed the nozzle towards the mess and squeezed the handle. White foam poured from the hose and covered the pan, counter, and even Derek's upper body. The smoke however, stopped. Bella sighed and dropped the red tank to the floor.

"What in the world?" She asked, looking up at her foamy, exhausted uncle.

Derek saw the puzzled looked on his niece's face and sighed. He glanced at the sticky mess on the counter and began his explanation. "I…I knew you were nervous about tomorrow and I wanted to make you something to help you feel little less scared, so I tried to cook you some chicken pot pie, just like mom does. But unfortunately, my baking skills only go as far a baked goods and pancakes. I don't get it, everything was going so well. I doubled the recipe so I figured I should double the bake time, but I guess that's not how that works…"

All of a sudden, he felt two little arms wrapped around his mid-section, foam and all. He glanced down to see Bella hugging him tightly.

He chuckled. "Did I do something right?" He asked, confused.

Bella pulled back. "Yes. Everything. You're the best."

"But it didn't even work…" Derek pointed out.

"I know. But still, this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me." She admitted. "Even if you failed miserably."

"Thanks, Bells. And I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" Morgan began.

"Shh. Don't even worry about it." She reassured. "Okay?"

He nodded. "We gotta clean this up. And figure out what to have for dinner…" He added, embarrassedly.

"Pizza?" Isabella offered, smirking.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Morgan said, rubbing his head.

By the time the gooey kitchen mess was cleaned, and the pizza was consumed, it was pretty late. They decided to quickly wash the dishes and call it a night.

"Do you have everything you need for tomorrow?" Derek asked, scraping leftover pizza off of a plate and into the trash. "Your assignments, your schedule, your uniform?"

"Yep." Bella replied. "I've got everything."

"What about the I.D. to get into the BAU?" He checked, while scrubbing the dish in his hand.

"Are you kidding? Of course I have it! Visiting the BAU is the only part of tomorrow I'm looking forward to!" Bella exclaimed.

"Really?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow and handing Bella wet dish.

"Well, yeah. Starting at a new school is never fun. Going anywhere new, where you don't know anyone is never fun…" She stated, looking down at the dish she was drying.

"You know Andrew. You two seem to get along pretty well." Derek said, turning off the water and searching her face for any indication of….well, anything.

"Um, yeah. I guess…" She said, still not taking her eyes off of the plate, even though it was completely dry.

Derek plucked the dish from her hand and placed it into a cabinet. "Okay, then…" He responded, slightly awkwardly. It was odd. He and Bella had never really had awkward pauses in their conversations. But then again, Bella and him never really discussed…boys or anything along those lines, but now that he was her legal guardian, he figured he would have to eventually. He would deal with that when it came, he decided, hoping that it wouldn't be anytime soon.

"Well, it's late and you've got a big day ahead of you. Night, Bella." He said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

She smiled. "Goodnight, Master Chef."

He cringed. "Oh, about that…Can you maybe…not mention that to any of the team tomorrow?" He asked cautiously, hoping for the best. But seeing the tiny half-smile on Bella's lips, he knew it was a lost cause. "You're going to tell everyone, aren't you?"

"Oh, definitely." She confirmed, grinning.

"I would expect nothing less, baby girl. Sleep tight." He answered, chuckling, before heading off to bed.

-:-

"Urggg…" Bella grumbled, as the alarm on her phone went off, indicating it was 7:00 AM. Time to wake up.

She pulled herself out of her bed and disabled the alarm. Yawning, she padded into the bathroom. She quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face, still half asleep. It was when she went into the closet to retrieve her brand new uniform that the realization hit her. She was starting over. Again. Immediately, her stomach tied itself into a big knot and a sense of loneliness washed over her. _Here we go…_

She stripped off her PJs and slid on the pair of black tights she was forced to wear. She pulled on the unflattering navy skirt and white wife beater. Next, she put on her white button up and black tie. Glancing in the mirror, she determined she looked like a frumpy business lady, not to mention, she was burning up. She rolled up the sleeves of her button up and undid the top couple of buttons. Not enough to look like a slut, but enough to not look like a nun. She loosened the tie and rolled up the skirt twice so it hit mid-thigh. She looked back in the mirror. _Not terrible…_She concluded, satisfied. Then, she pushed the navy school headband through her shiny black waves. Last, she put on the tiniest bit of makeup. Grandma Fran always said less was more. Mascara, eyeliner, powder, done. She was ready.

Sighing, she gathered all her books, pencils and her phone and dropped them into her bag. She made her way down the hallway, praying that some kind of catastrophe would occur, preventing her from going to school.

Her prayers weren't answered because she made it to the kitchen where Derek was waiting with a bagel and a hug.

"Don't you worry. I don't know a single person who is more prone to making friends as you. You'll fit right in, I'm sure." He said wrapping his arms around her. He pulled back. "I was supposed to leave earlier, but I wanted to see you off. So, I've got to go, but I made you a bagel (with no fire, might I add), and Michael, your driver will be here in…" He glanced at his watch. "About 15 minutes. Okay?"

Bella nodded.

"Good. Have a stunning first day, baby girl. Love you!" He said, kissing her cheek and heading out the door.

"Love you, too." She called after him, feeling better.

She ate her bagel and walked around the house aimlessly until she heard a car pull up. She grabbed her bag and headed out the front door, locking it on her way out. Outside was a big black SUV, with tinted windows. A man in a cab hat got out of the drivers seat and walked around the side. She saw he had a tag hanging around his neck, verifying his identity and job. He opened backseat door. "Good morning, Ms. Morgan." He greeted, smiling.

"Hi." She responded, blown away. _This is so cool!_ She thought, glancing inside the car. It had two rows of back seat, a TV, speakers, a mini-fridge and a screen to separate the front seats from the back.

She slid in and Michael closed the door behind her. As she watched Michael make his way back around the car to the front, she felt a hand grab her shoulder from behind.

She screamed. Maybe her prayers were answered.

**So, that was that. Reviews, please? :] I might post a new chapter our of guilt tonight, because I was gone for a while! Oh, and thanks for the people who PM'ed me. It made my day!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, new chapter. Read away :]**

Bella whipped around and was face to face with Andrew, who was sitting in the back row. His eyes were wide and his hand was still clasped onto her shoulder.

"Are you alright, Miss Morgan? I heard you scream." Asked an alarmed Michael from the front seat.

"Y-yes." She stammered. "I was just surprised."

He nodded but kept an eye on her using his mirror.

"Sorry I scared you." Andrew apologized, flushing pink.

"You didn't scare me, I just…wasn't expecting you there." Bella claimed. "But where the heck did you come from and why are you here?"

"I go to Summit, too. Remember? Michael drives me there, as well. I thought you knew that. And I was by my bag, under the seat. I guess you didn't see me. I had to grab something. Something for you, actually…" He explained.

"Something for me?" Bella asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Here, lemme show you." He said, excited. He quickly unbuckled his belt and leapt over the middle row of seats, landing next to Bella.

"Buckle up, Andrew or I will stop the car!" Scolded Michael from the front seat.

"Sorry, Mike." Andrew called before strapping in and turning to Bella. He held out a laminated sheet of paper to her.

She took it and studied it. It was a map of the school. Only Andrew had written in little side notes, like the best way to get to the cafeteria while avoiding "traffic" and which classroom had the coolest teachers.

"Wow. This is great." Bella said, meaning it.

"Thanks. I was alone on my first day and it was hell, so I figured you could use a little guide." He said shrugging.

The more Bella looked at the map, the more she loved it. She began to pick up on the tiny details he threw in, like where the coldest water fountain was and to which areas had the best phone service.

"Thank you so much." She said, looking up at him.

"Nah, it's no big deal." He answered, modestly.

"No, really." She insisted. "This is brilliant. It makes today much less terrifying."

"You? Terrified? I have to say, I'd never thought I hear you admit that." He teased.

She smiled lightly then looked at her lap.

"Hey." He said softly. "Don't worry about it. Now, I'm not going to lie, not everyone in school is nice, so just be careful with who you associate with. And a few tips… Don't listen to people when they tell you to go the 600s. The 600s are being redone and are off-limits. Sit near the back when possible in class, the front is always cold. Don't sit on the red rows on bleachers in the gym during assemblies. Seniors only, and they will torture you if you sit there. Ummm, I think that's all the basics… "

Bella smiled. "Okay, I'll keep those in mind." She said, feeling a bit more confident.

"We're here." Michael announced, walking around the car to let them out. Bella looked out the window, saw all the kids milling around, and all of the confidence she gained dissolved. She couldn't do it.

Michael clicked open the door and waited patiently for Bella to get out, but she didn't move.

"Bella?" Andrew called from the other side of her. He got no response. Sighing, he picked up her bag, hoisting it up onto his shoulder along with his own and grabbed her wrist. He squeezed in front of her and exited the car, dragging her along. He pulled her out of the car and onto the sidewalk, yelling "Thanks, Michael!" as he made his way across the manicured front lawn of the school. He gently led her all the way up to the building, but instead of walking up the steps that led to the entrance, he pulled her around the side of the building. He stopped by a small flight of side stairs. He let go of her and set down the bags.

"I'll tell you what, Bella." He started, taking the map from her hands and retrieving a Sharpie from his bag. He drew a little circle on the map and pointed to it. "We are right here. If you for any reason need to get away for a little bit, text me, and we can meet right here. I can't say we can stay for long, but I guarantee you won't get in trouble. Okay?" He promised.

"How won't we get in trouble?" She asked, her nerves still overwhelming her.

"Leave that to me. I know it's not much, but hey, it's the best I can do. And really, just say the word, and I'm there." Andrew stated, hoping it would help.

"I can't." Bella replied flatly,

"WHY?" He yelled, out of ideas to calm her down.

"Because I don't have your number!" She answered, laughing.

"Oh." He said, embarrassed. "Gimme your phone then!"

She smiled and handed him her phone.e g He handed her back the map. He sat down on the steps and clicked away. Bella watched him entering his number for a second before plopping down next to him. Morgan was right, knowing Andrew did really help.

They spent the next ten minutes talking and playing tic-tac-toe on the steps with the Sharpie. Suddenly, the bell rang. Bella paled, and Andrew pulled her up into a hug.

"Don't worry." He whispered into her ear.

"I won't." Bella said quietly, trying to believe it.

Andrew pulled away and began to walk off to his first class when Bella caught his hand. He turned to face her.

"Thank you. You're amazing. For a dork." She admitted, squeezing his hand.

He smiled, really pleased at how good of a morning he had.

-:-

"DEREK!" Penelope shouted, snapping Derek out of his reverie.

He looked up at her. "What?"

"Oh, I've just been recapping my terrible morning for you for the past ten minutes, and you aren't even listening! You know I love you, Hot Stuff, but don't bother asking if you aren't going to listen!" She complained.

Derek sighed. "I'm sorry, Pen. It's just I'm-"

"Worried about Baby Morgan on her first day of school?" She finished for him, knowingly. "I figured. I'm just giving you a hard time."

Derek half-smiled. "Yes. Exactly that."

"Well, let me tell you, if anyone can charm a whole school in six hours, I'd be our Bella. That girl has something about her that just draws people to her like flies to honey. I wouldn't worry." Penelope pointed out.

"I know. I'm just being paranoid. She had a hard time a her old school and I just hope it's not the same here." He explained, worry still occupying his mind. "Thanks though, baby girl. You really are a goddess."

"I know." She replied happily. All of a sudden, her terrible morning didn't feel so terrible.

Just as she turned to leave, Derek said "Hey. Why don't you come over for dinner tonight? If Bella had a bad day, that'll cheer her up and if she had a good one, I'm sure she'd love to tell you all about it."

Penelope felt a grin spread across her face. This morning was just getting better and better. "Yes. I'd love to."

Morgan smirked, forgetting all his Bella-stress for a second. "Good."

-:-

_Ugh! Again? _Bella thought to herself as the 5th teacher that day had asked her to get up and introduce herself to the class. Today had been pretty normal and uneventful. She talked to a few kids and made it though without dying, but she absolutely hated how her teachers made her stand up and introduce herself. Not only was it embarrassing, but she also had a lot of the same kids in her classes, and it was last period, so the majority already knew her name.

"Isabella?" Asked her teacher, Mr. Squires. "Did you not hear me?"

Bella sighed and stood up. "Yes, I heard you. Hey everyone. My name is Bella." She said, giving the class a little wave, then sitting back down quickly.

"Isabella! That is hardly an introduction. Here at Summit, we expect everyone to try their hardest and give their best and it would be a pity to think that I was having issues with you about trying 100% after just 5 minutes in my class. Try again." Mr. Squires lectured.

_CALL ME BELLA!_ Bella screamed in her head before standing up. She put the biggest, most sweet smile she had and said "Hello everybody. My name is Isabella Morgan. Call me Bella." She looked at Mr. Squires for some sort of signal that she could sit down.

He just looked at her and asked, "Where did your family move here from?"

_Why won't he just let me sit down? _

"Um, my family didn't move with me. I moved Chicago and I live with my uncle."

Mr. Squires just nodded.

"Is that all, sir?" She asked, irritated.

"Yes, that's all. You may sit now, Isabella." He responded.

She clenched her fists underneath her desk, trying her best not to rip off Mr. Squire's head.

Then, it came to her. Andrew.

She quickly reached into her bag and retrieved her phone. She held it under her desk and scrolled through her contacts, while keeping her head up. Oddly enough, Andrew's name wasn't under the A's. She kept scrolling down. She knew he put it in there…Not in the B's...not in the C's. Under D's however, she found the contact "Dork". She smiled. He _would_ do that.

Still keeping her eyes on the board, she shot him a speedy text. **Hey. I hate this class. Save me? **

Almost immediately, she got a response. _**Room number?**_

She glanced at her schedule. She texted back. **508.**

Again, within a minute, her phone buzzed. _**Be there soon.**_

Sighing and praying he was right, she silently slipped her phone back into her bag. She glanced around to see if anyone noticed. A cute brunette boy to her right smirked at her. She shrugged. She winked and she knew he wouldn't tell. Then, she saw him write rip out a page from his spiral and write frantically on it. She decided she should probably focus on the lesson now. Just as she began to take some notes, Andrew walked in. Mr. Squires had a fit of euphoria.

"Andrew!" He bellowed, grinning ear to ear. "What brings you in here?"

Andrew smiled modestly as the class stared up at him, every child silently hoping that in some way, Andrew's visit would put the learning on hold.

"Oh, I was just wondering if I could borrow Bella for the rest of class." He said, in a Splenda (too sweet to be real) voice. "However, if you don't want her to miss the lesson, that's alright. I'll come later."

"No, no. That's quite alright. Bella, you may go." Mr. Squires announced cheerily. Bella grabbed her bag and started to make her way out when she heard a voice behind her.

"Hey, you forgot your notebook." Said a boy's voice. She turned to see the cute brunette holding out her yellow spiral.

She took it from him and smiled. "Thanks!"

"My pleasure." He responded.

"Come on, Bells!" Andrew said, impatiently.

"Okay!" She said, following him out in a hurry.

As soon as they were in the hallway, Bella high-fived Andrew.

"I totally owe you." She said happily.

"That you do." He responded smugly.

Since there was only 20 minutes of school left the two raided the vending machines and sat outside on the side steps eating and conversing. At first, things were normal and fun. Bella found out that Andrew fixed Mr. Squire's computer on multiple occasions, making Andrew a favorite of his, even though he wasn't in his class. Andrew found out how every teacher had forced Bella to get up and introduce herself. They talked about random things like favorite movies and food, having a good time. Soon, however, curiosity got the best of Bella and she asked Andrew about the cute brunette boy.

"Hey, that boy who handed me back my notebook…Do you know him?" She asked him, trying to be subtle.

"Oh, him. Yeah, I know him." Andrew mumbled.

"What's his name?" She questioned.

"Why do you care?" Andrew retorted.

"Why does it matter why I care?" She answered, confused as to why he wouldn't just tell her.

"Why do you need to know?" Andrew asked, furrowing his brow.

"Can you just tell me?" Bella said, exasperated. "And don't answer with a question!"

"I just don't like him, okay?" Andrew said a little angrily. "His name's Justin."

Bella nodded. "He's cute. Why don't you like him?"

"What? Justin is the furthest thing from cute…I mean, um…" He trailed off, at a loss of words. "You remember how I said 'Not all kids at school are nice'? He's one of the kids who aren't nice."

"Oh." Bella said, a little disappointed. "How isn't he nice?"

Andrew crumpled up a candy bar wrapped in his hand. "He just isn't. Trust me."

"Hmm, well, he seems nice to me." Bella stated quietly.

"Just because he's cute doesn't mean he's nice." Andrew said forcefully, throwing the wrapper on the ground.

"I never said that. I just said he _seems_ nice. And since you don't wanna tell me, why he isn't, then I guess I'll just trust my instinct." Bella responded.

"Well, I don't want to talk about it, but I'm telling you, he's not." Andrew deadpanned.

"How do you know? Have you even talked to him?" Bella snapped, defensively.

"Have you? You're just sticking up for him because you think he's cute!" Andrew shot back, a bit loudly.

"Yes, I have talked to him. Once. And I'm not sticking up for him. From experience, I've gathered that he's nice. That's all I'm saying." She exclaimed.

"Ha. Experience. You don't know anything." Andrew scoffed under his breath, obviously peeved off.

"Excuse me?" Bella asked, standing up. "I heard that. I'm not an idiot."

"Well, if you think talking to a guy once means you know him, then I'm not so sure that's true." Andrew quipped, staring into his eyes. Bella stared right back; not believing she thought her and Andrew would ever get along.

The bell rang. "Let's go." Mumbled Andrew.

They collected their stuff and made their way to the curb where Michael and all the other cars were waiting. The got in and strapped up silently. It was a short drive to the BAU, but the stubborn kids spent them soundlessly clicking away on their phones, doing nothing productive. When they arrived, Michael let them out and they hurried up to the entrance, passes at the ready. They were let in easily and both headed off to go find some poor victims to complain to. Bella saw Andrew make his way toward Reid, who was with Morgan, Rossi and Hotch on break so, she stormed off to Garcia's office.

She walked down the hall to the Techie's office, pausing to knock. As soon as she got the OK to come in, she ripped open the door and dropped her bag in the corner. Inside, was JJ, Emily, and Penelope, all holding coffee cups and looking a bit surprised.

'Hey girly. How was your first day?" Penelope asked Bella, hoping for the best.

"Hey. How was school?" Reid asked Andrew in the bullpen where he was on break with the guys.

"Terrible." Both teens answered to their respective askers.

"I got into a fight with Andrew…" Bella admitted to the girls.

"Bella and I…sort of….quarreled." Andrew told all the men.

Both of the kids got questioning looks from their crowds so, they took a breath and recapped the fight for the groups.

-:-

"Who is this guy that Bella said was cute?" Derek asked, after hearing Andrew's story.

"His names Justin, but I…" Andrew started.

"Wait, Andrew is this the Justin that…?" Reid questioned, but Andrew cut him off.

"Yes, but I want to know what you guys think as far as right and wrong. Was I wrong?" Andrew asked.

Rossi walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If there's one thing I've learned about women, it's that you should always apologize first. Even if you're wrong. It makes everything easier." He stated before, finishing off his coffee and leaving the room, possibly to get more.

Andrew just looked at Hotch and Reid pleadingly, as Rossi wasn't much help and Morgan was still trying to figure out how Isabella could possibly think some guy is cute.

"Reid? Hotch?" He said. "Any advice?"

"I'm not particularly good with, um, females, but Rossi has a point. Apologizing first would probably make her happy."

"And then she'd probably apologize as well." Hotch added.

"How old is this guy, Andrew?" Morgan asked, still stuck on the fact that Bella liked some guy.

Andrew sighed. _I guess I'm going to apologize…_ He thought before walking off to Garcia's office, where he saw Bella go.

-:-

"So, he said you knew _nothing_?" Emily asked Bella, after she had explained the fight. "That doesn't sound like Andrew…"

"Yeah. That's what I thought too. I must've really made him angry." Bella said, feeling like this was her fault. "Maybe I should apologize…I was being a little bit defensive for no reason…"

"But he still shouldn't have said that! A guy should never tell a girl she knows nothing. " Penelope explained.

"Yeah, but still, I kinda egged him on…" Bella tried to explain.

"No buts! It's his fault." Penelope said.

JJ cut in. "I think it's a bit of both of their faults…I mean, from what I've heard. Maybe you should apologize."

"He'd probably apologize, too." Emily added.

"That's what I was thinking! I was kind of a jerk. And he's been so sweet today. Look at what he made me!" Bella exclaimed, reaching into her bag and looking for her map. She pulled out the yellow spiral, so she could search easier and out fell a tiny folded piece of paper.

"What's that?" Prentiss asked, pointing at the paper.

"I don't know. Lemme see…" Bella said, unfolding it. It was a note from Justin.

It read: **Hey Bella. your new right? And dereks your uncle? Yea, I know him. Kinda. He sometimes helps the bball coach with bball tryouts…im on the team. Anyways, you seem cool. Here's my number 503-124-4000. Your cute we should hang sometime. Though why are you leaving with the nerd? do you know him? Just wondering…..**

**Oh I saw you texting, I wont tell. Itll be our secret.**

**-justin**

"Hey, look!" She said as she finished reading. She knew Andrew thought he was mean, but she was still excited. The cute guy thought SHE was cute! She handed the note to JJ and Emily as Penelope was opening the door for someone. "It's from Justin!"

"The cute guy?" JJ asked.

"Yeah!" Bella confirmed. She heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned to see Andrew at the door with an unreadable expression.

"Oh, hi." Bella said. It was obvious he had heard her still talking about cute guy.

"I came to say sorry…so, sorry." He mumbled quickly, sounding the furthest thing from apologetic. He then turned and darted down the hall.

"Andrew!" Bella called. But he was already gone.

Sighing, Bella turned and plopped down onto Emily's lap. "This sucks."

"Oh, honey. I'm sorry." Emily said, playing with the ends of Bella's hair.

"You know what really sucks? This kids grammar!" Penelope said, waving the note from Justin in the air.

Bella laughed lightly. "You know what sucks even more?" She asked.

"What?" Penelope replied.

"Little geniuses that are sweet and adorable one second, but SO CONFUSING at the same time." Bella whispered.

"Amen." JJ agreed, placing a hand on Bella's shoulder.

"Why couldn't he just tell me why he hates him?" Bella wondered aloud. "But then again, why did I have to go and open my big mouth right as he was going to apologize. I officially have the worst timing ever. But really, why do I even care? It's not like I…like him or anything."

"Because he's your closest friend, maybe." JJ said.

"And because he made your first day the best he could." Penelope added.

"Because he was there when you just needed to get away." Emily threw in.

Bella sighed. It was true. "I screwed up big-time, huh?"

"Just a little." JJ admitted.

"I need to fix this." Bella decided, standing up.

"And great timing because, we need to get back to work ladies." Penelope announced, turning back to her computer. "Oh, and Baby Bells, I'm coming over for dinner tonight. Derek invited me."

"Sweet! At least I have something to look forward to, now." Bella said, relived.

Bella had her suspicions about in-BAU-love-interests and Penelope and her uncle were the biggest. She was glad to see that they were making progress. Then, she got an idea. It would hopefully help another BAU-potential-couple and give her the perfect opportunity to apologize to Andrew.

"Hey, Jayje. What are you doing tonight?" Bella asked, out of the blue.

"Nothing big, I might stop at…" JJ began, but Bella interrupted.

"Perfect!" Bella grabbed her bag off the floor and raced from the room, leaving three very confused SSA Agents in her wake.

She raced through the bullpen, looking for her Spencer. As soon as she saw her target, she "casually" went over to him and leaned on his desk.

"Hey Bella." He said, looking up from his paperwork.

"Hey Spence. How 'bout you ask JJ over to your place for dinner tonight?" She asked, surprising the poor genius.

"Um, I…I don't think she's…um…" He began.

"Yes, she's free and I'm sure she'd love to. In fact, I'll make it easy for you. I'll even have Andrew stay at our house for dinner. Penelope is coming over for dinner so he can come, too." She proposed, hopeful. When she saw the look of confusion on his face, she decided it would be easier to just explain.

"Listen, I really screwed things over with Andrew and since he's like my closest friend, I'd really like to fix things. Tonight would be the perfect opportunity because Derek and Penelope will most likely be busy and so I'll have time to make it up to him. But, he's really upset right now and he probably wouldn't come over willingly. That's where you come in. If you ask out JJ, you have the perfect reasoning for needing him out of the house, so when Derek and I graciously offer, you can't decline. Plus, I know you really want to ask out JJ and I'm pretty sure she wants you to, as well."

"Who's asking out JJ?" Questioned Derek, walking up to Reid's desk.

"This amazing, wonderful guy right here?" Bella asked Spencer, give him the most puppy dog-ish face she had.

Spencer gave in. "Fine." He agreed, causing Bella to throw her arms around him. "She's devious. You know that, right?" He asked Morgan.

"Oh, I know." Morgan replied, chucking.

Bella pulled away from the hug and turned to her uncle. "Now, you. You invited Penelope over, correct?" Morgan nodded. "Well, we need to train you up fast, so we won't have you burning up the kitchen again."

Morgan winced and Spencer let out a laugh. "He lit the kitchen on fire? How?"

"Okay, it barely caught." Morgan defended. "And shouldn't you be over there asking out JJ, lover boy?"

Spencer just stared. "He's right!" Bella exclaimed. "Get going."

Spencer opened his mouth to protest, but Bella just grabbed his shoulders and said, "Good luck!"

Derek turned to Bella as Spencer walked away. "What's all this about?"

"Can Andrew come over tonight? I need to find some way to apologize." She pleaded.

"Of course, kiddo. Get your stuff. We need to head home. Looks like we've got a busy night." Morgan said, reaching over and grabbing his bags.

"Yeah." Bella murmured, looking around the BAU. Andrew sat in the empty conference room, doing homework. Spencer stood by the door to JJ's office, talking to JJ while fiddling his thumbs. Garcia was carrying her bags and about to leave. "It's going to be a busy night, indeed."

**I kind of hate how I wrote this chapter. It was the product of one of my late-night-writing-session. Eh, whatever. Virtual cookies for the lovely people who review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**You know what to do! :]**

As soon as Bella and Morgan arrived home they set to work. Bella remembered that earlier that day Andrew had mentioned lasagna was one of his favorite foods and it was easy enough to make. With a little borrowing from the neighbors, they gathered all the ingredients to make it. The two tried their best and it looked pretty edible by the time it was ready to bake. But that was _before_ the oven. Morgan triple-checked the baking time and set the time for exactly that, hoping this time, nothing would burn. Bella looked at the clock. 6:45. Bella had called Spencer on the way home, making sure JJ had said yes (she had!) and he said he would drop off Andrew at seven. Penelope was arriving at seven-fifteen. That gave them just enough time to change. Bella changed out of her school clothes and threw on jeans and a purple, long sleeve, off-the shoulder sweater and Derek just changed into jeans and a maroon v-neck. Morgan went to the kitchen to check the lasagna and Bella began setting the table out on the deck, as it was a beautiful night. Just as she finished setting the last place, the bell rang.

"I'll get it!" Bella exclaimed. She ran all the way to door and yanked it open. Outside stood Spencer, JJ and Andrew. "Hi." She greeted.

"Hey, Bella." Said Reid. "Is Morgan there? I'll just tell him what time I'll be back and stuff."

"Oh, sure. DEREK!" Bella called back into the house. "Hey, um, Andrew. Let's go inside." She added, hoping he would listen.

Andrew looked up at Spencer. Spencer nodded and Andrew walked in. "Bye Spence. Bye JJ." He said quietly.

"Oh yeah, bye Spencer, bye Jayje. Have a good time." Bella said, leading Andrew to her room as Morgan walked to the door, wiping his hands on his jeans.

Things were uncomfortable. As soon as Bella was alone with Andrew, she could tell that this was going to be way more difficult then she hoped it would be. He followed her to her room and when Bella said, "Make yourself at home" he sat down on the couch and took out his iPod. Bella just watched as he put in his headphones and turned the volume up.

Bella just watched, a sadness taking over her body. Her only friend here was ignoring her. But it was her fault. She took a deep breath and decided to quit feeling sorry for herself and do something about it.

She strode over to the couch and sat down next to Andrew. He stopped bobbing his head and turned to look at her. Just as she opened her mouth to apologize, he made things more difficult by lifting up his iPod, showcasing the fact he was turning up the volume even _more._

Ugh, Bella knew he was mad, but was that really necessary? How old was he, 10?

"Andrew." She said, getting impatient. He didn't respond. She yelled his name twice more and still got nothing. Finally, getting annoyed, she grabbed his headphones and ripped them off of his face. "I'm sorry!" She yelled. "I really am! I was being insensitive and a jerk. I'm trying to be a good person but you acting like an 10 year old is making it really hard!"

Andrew started at her for a few seconds before busting out laughing. She frowned. Was he mocking her?

"What's so funny?" She snapped, not understanding the comedy of the situation.

"You!" He said between laughter. When he finally stopped, he explained. "I wasn't all that mad. Spencer told me how bad you felt and that you were going to apologize, so I decided to give you a bit of a hard time. And let me tell you, it was hilarious!" He said, erupting into another fit of laughter.

"You jerk!" She said, punching his arm. "I guess I kinda deserved it though…"

"Kinda?" He asked.

"Okay, maybe I totally did. But still, I'm trying really hard to make it up. I even made you lasagna!" She pointed out.

"You did?" Andrew asked, perking up.

"Yeah, it's baking. Morgan's keeping an eye on it. I knew it was your favorite, so he and I made it for dinner." She admitted.

"Wow. That's awesome." He said, smiling. "I guess I could forgive you."

"Really?" Bella whispered.

Andrew nodded. She reached over and wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled and hugged back.

"Can I ask you something?" Bella asked nervously, pulling back.

"Sure." Andrew said, shrugging.

"What did Justin do?" She asked. Getting no response, she added, "You don't have to tell me. I'm just curious."

"No, it's okay. I was just being dumb earlier. I'll tell you." He said, sighing. "Here's what happened. At my old school, I was that loser who was way too smart. I hated it. Kids teased me, ya know? I didn't really have friends. Here, I didn't want it to be like that. I decided at Summit I was going to keep my…intelligence on the DL. I wasn't going to hide it, just not flaunt it. On my first day at Summit, I gathered all my required papers explaining how I was ahead of my years from the office to show my teachers, went out to the front and sat on the steps. I asked a girl, Marissa, where my first class was. As she told me, Justin walked up. Apparently, Marissa was his girlfriend. He got all pissed just because I was _talking _to her and he asked me what 'my problem' was. Of course, I just kind of stuttered and rambled. He laughed and hit all of my papers out of my hand and onto the floor. As I was picking them up, he grabbed my letter from Spencer to the school explaining everything from my home situation to my grade skipping. He read it and told everyone I was a friendless nerd whose crazy druggie of a mother didn't want him anymore. Of course, since he was 'cute' and 'popular', everyone agreed with him. Now, I'm just 'The Nerd'. He ruined my whole reputation before I even had a chance."

Bella's stomach dropped. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea." She began.

"It's okay. You had no way of knowing. Let's just forget it, okay?" Andrew said.

Bella nodded. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Bella called.

Morgan opened the door. "Dinner's ready." Bella and Andrew got up off the couch and made way for the kitchen. As Bella passed by Derek, he excitedly added, "And nothing burnt!"

Bella chuckled. Perfect.

"Isn't Penelope supposed to be here?" Andrew asked as they walked into the kitchen.

"I am, my prince! And I have been, for 15 minutes. Morgan and I just didn't want to bother you two." Penelope announced, rising from her spot at the table. She planted a kiss on Andrew's blonde head and Bella's brunette one. "Is everything good, now? All drama aborted?'

"Yes." They responded in unison.

"Fantastic." She replied, sounding relieved.

They sat down. They chatted and ate, enjoying the lasagna the Morgan's made. It wasn't actually half bad. In fact, soon the pan was half empty and their stomachs were full. Just as the kids were clearing the table, the house phone rang. Derek went to get it.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Derek?" Said the voice on the line. Derek recognized it right away.

"JJ?" He asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes. It's just…we have a case. You gotta get to the BAU. We're going to review it real quick over there, then head to the airport. It's in Austin, so bring your go-bag."

"Damn…Okay, I'll be there in 15." Replied Morgan.

"Can you please let Garcia know? And tell Andrew that Spencer said he'll bring his overnight bag, since he'll be staying at Garcia's?" She asked.

"Sure." Said Morgan, realizing he would be leaving Bella with Garcia for the first time.

"'Kay, thanks. See ya." JJ answered, before hanging up.

Derek put down the phone and sighed.

"What's up?" Questioned Bella.

"The BAU. We've got case. Grab your bag, Bells. You'll be staying with Pen. Andrew, Spencer has your bag. Penelope, can we take your car to the BAU? From there, I'll catch a ride with Spence to the airport and you can take the kids back to your place." He explained.

"Yeah, that's fine." Penelope said, grabbing her purse and keys. I'll go start the car. Come on, Andrew."

Bella ran to her room and opened her closet. She grabbed the pre-packed bag off the floor, along with her school bag. Throwing both over her shoulder, she went over to her desk. She opened the top drawer and grabbed an envelope with her uncle's name on it and sprinted down the hall. She saw her uncle, bag over his shoulder, emerging from his room.

"Hey Bells, got your stuff?" He checked.

"Yeah." She said, quickly putting on her converse. They jogged out to Penelope's car and strapped in. Within minutes, they were at the BAU.

The group hurried up into the building. Penelope and Derek sat down at the conference table with Rossi, Reid and JJ, while Andrew and Isabella lounged on the couch in the corner.

"Where's Hotch and Prentiss?" Asked Morgan.

"They both should be here any second." JJ replied.

A few minutes passed and sure enough, Hotch and Prentiss walked through the doors, both way over dressed. Hotch wore a nice dress shirt, black pants and dress shoes, while Prentiss sported a tight purple dress and heels. The eyebrows in the room went up.

"Why hello there." Said Derek teasingly, as they sat down, slightly embarrassed.

"Where exactly are you two coming from?" Rossi asked. Neither Hotch nor Emily replied. "Couldn't be the same place, right?"

"Yeah, what are the odds of both of you showing up here dressed to kill at…8:57 on a work night?" Penelope added. "Weird…"

Reid, Morgan, Rossi and the kids as snickered. Even JJ had a tiny smirk.

"Let's focus on the case." Hotch deadpanned, his eyes forward.

JJ smiled and looked at the two teens. "Out." She said, much to their dismay. The duo got up and left the room, mumbling about how they never got to stay.

The team reviewed the case quickly and soon, everyone exited the room, preparing to leave. Hotch and Prentiss made their way to the lockers to change, JJ and Rossi were collecting the files from the conference table, Penelope went to the ladies room and Andrew went with Reid to say goodbyes and get coffee. Morgan walked over to his desk, where Isabella was spinning in circles in his chair. He grabbed it mid-spin.

"Hey there, little girl." He said. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I have something for you though." Bella replied, pulling out the envelope from her jeans pocket. "Here."

Morgan took it. "What is this?"

"I wrote it for you. It's nothing huge, just something so I know you know I miss you. You don't have to read it now. Maybe on the plane." She explained, twirling one of her long black curls around her finger.

"Oh, don't worry, I always know that. But thank you. And I'm gonna miss you, too, Princess. Come here." He said, holding out his arms for her.

She stood up and got on her tiptoes so she could wrap her arms around his neck. He held her there, making sure to hug her tight as he may not get to for a while. "I love you to the moon and back, Bells." He whispered, repeating the same goodbye he'd said every time his visits were finished.

"Love you, too." She mumbled into his shoulder, missing him already.

Behind them, Hotch, freshly changed into his typical work attire, cleared his throat. They pulled apart. Bella closed her eyes as Derek planted one last little kiss on her head, before grabbing his back and joining Hotch and Emily who were waiting for the remaining team. She gave Spencer a quick hug as he and Andrew returned from grabbing coffee.

Morgan looked at Penelope as they waited for JJ and Rossi. "Take good care of her, okay?" He directed.

"Of course, my vision. As she is my own." Penelope assured.

"You, too." Derek added, looking at Andrew.

"Of course, Derek." Andrew replied, nodding.

Rossi and JJ made their way down the stairs. "Okay, we're ready." Said Rossi. "Let's go. We'll call when we arrive."

The team went out the front doors and separated into two cars and headed off to the airport, leaving only Andrew, Penelope and Bella. The trio got into Penelope's car and headed to Penelope's house. Bella looked out the window and sighed, both excited and nervous for what was coming next.

**Thanks so much for everyone who reviewed. :-.) Virtual cookies for you! Please repeat you previous actions and review. Come on, you know you want to!**


	7. Chapter 7

**REID THIS :) Haha, get it? …I'm sorry you had to witness that…**

Things were ordinary. Penelope, Andrew and Bella drove home, not talking much as everyone was tired beyond belief. When they arrive, Penelope showed Bella their room. It was purple. The walls were covered with all kinds of picture, plates, and trinkets. There was a big desk with two chairs and two twin beds. Andrew had been there before, so the desk had some of his school supplies on it and his bed had a couple extra pillows. Everyone took showers and the kids got ready for bed. Just as it was about time for the teens to crash, Penelope walked in for goodnights. She opened the door and there was Andrew and Bella, sitting on Andrew's bed surrounded by papers.

"What are you up to, my minions?" Asked Penelope, walking in.

"I'm checking all her homework!" Andrew said, quickly scanning a page before dropping it onto a stack to his left.

"Checking it?" Penelope questioned, smirking.

"Yeah, I did the work, but he's reviewing it to make sure I made no mistakes." Bella explained, smiling.

"Ahhh." Penelope said, nodding and sitting down on the edge of Andrew's bed. "I'm glad to see you two getting along again."

"Yeah." Bella said, sharing a smirk with Andrew. "I was being stupid."

"Yeah, you were." Andrew joked, earning a punch in the shoulder. "I'm joking. I'm joking. We were both wrong."

"Well, it's very mature of you two to decide that." Penelope praised.

"Mature enough to…I don't know…go with the team on a case next time?" Andrew asked, in a failed attempt to be casual.

Bella shot him a look. "Subtle."

He stuck out his tongue at Bella like he was five. Bella rolled her eyes. "Haven't seen that since preschool." She commented.

Andrew opened his mouth to respond, but Penelope cut him off before they broke into one of their bicker-fights that happened every five to seven minutes.

"Wait, what's this about you two on cases?" Garcia asked.

"Well, Andrew and I were talking, and since we both wan to work for the BAU one day, we thought it would be beneficial if we occasionally went with Morgan and Reid on cases." Bella stated as she put all the papers in a folder, which she then placed on the side table.

When she got no response, Andrew stepped in. "Think of all the opportunity! It would be a great experience for us."

"If by 'experience' you mean 'disturbance' then I totally understand. If not, then I just don't understand why anyone would _willingly_ want to see any of that. Especially at such a young age." Penelope said, her voice monotone, remembering the time she accompanied the team on a case in Alaska. It had scarred her for life and given her nightmares.

When _she _got no response, she softened. "Look kiddies, I love that you guys want to grow up and fight the bad guys. It's great! Really, it is. But if you guys throw yourself into that world at such a young age it will disturb you. I promise. It disturbs me and I'm way older. And Reid. And Prentiss. And Jayje. And Morgan. And Rossi. Heck, it even disturbs Hotch, who is pretty much most intimidating guy on Earth. Now, I know you want to get started on your BAU career right now, but it's a long way away. So promise me that you'll be just teenagers for now. Enjoy it. Because once you're an adult, there's no going back. This is the best time of your lives. Utilize it." She explained. "Do you promise?"

The two looked at each other. "Yeah, we promise." They agreed.

"Fantastic." Penelope said, standing up. "Now. How 'bout you guys get your rumps back in your own beds and get some rest."

Bella laughed. She got off Andrew's bed and began climbing into her own, as Andrew settled into his bed.

"Whoa now, little squeakers. Isn't there something you're both forgetting?" She accused, pouting. The two teens remained silent and confused, so Garcia gave them a hint. "Why is Auntie Penelope getting no love?"

"Ohh." The both said, laughing. Andrew climbed out of his bed and kissed Penelope's cheek. "Good night, Pen."

"Goodnight, my prince." She replied, smiling.

Bella walked up and threw her arms around Penelope. "G'night, Auntie Pen."

"Good night, my sweet angel." Garcia responded, releasing the young girl to her bed.

"See you tomorrow. I'll be up late working if you need anything. I love you both!" She added, as she walked out of the room, flipping off the light.

Bella rolled over on to her back and immediately giggled. The word HELLO was spelled out on the roof in glow stars.

"What?" Andrew asked.

"Nothing, it's just…hello." Bella whispered, pointing to the ceiling even though it was too dark for him even to see.

"Oh, and I'M the immature one." Andrew responded, dubiously.

"Yes, because you never let anything go!" Bella replied, before letting out a little yawn. "I'm sleepy."

"That makes two of us. It's been a long day." Andrew said, yawning himself and completely forgetting their little maturity fight. "Night, Bells."

"Night, Dork." Bella called back, smirk.

Andrew groaned, but found himself smiling.

-:-

About the same time, the team sat on the plane, wrapping up brainstorming about the case with Garcia on video chat.

"Okay, Garcia, get some sleep now. We'll call you in the morning." Hotch said, reaching out to shut off the computer.

"Wait!" Morgan cried, causing Hotch to freeze with his hand over the laptop. "I wanted to check on Bella. She alright?"

Hotch nodded and looked back at Penelope. Just as Penelope opened her mouth to respond, Reid cut in. "And Andrew."

Penelope nodded. "Well, we got home, they got all ready for bed and then Andrew checked over Bella's homework. Just as they were finishing up, I went to check on them and I found out something rather interesting…"

"What?" Hotch said eagerly, causing Garcia to chuckle. He was very fond of the children and occasionally he would blurt out a little remark that would expose just how much he cared. Penelope thought it was adorable to see the most soft, caring side of Hotch.

"Did you know that they want to work for the Bureau? They're pretty serious. And they want to go on cases with you guys! They think it's a "good experience"." Garcia explained.

"What?" Reid asked. This was news to him.

Morgan sighed. "Bella has always to have my job. Of course, at first she thought we were some clan of super heroes…I always figured when she got older, she'd understand what I really did and she'd want nothing to do with it. Man, I was wrong. She's been asking about cases since the day we got here. I've always said no, of course."

Reid nodded. "She must've passed it on to Andrew."

"That's exactly what happened, my genius. And the two of them were convinced they should go, but I kind of went off on them…" Garcia admitted.

"You yelled at them?" Hotch asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not yelled, per say. Just lectured. You know, told them about to enjoy their young minds and lives before poisoning it with all of the horrible images that this job plants into your head. That seemed to get to them _a little, _but those two are so stubborn sometimes, you'd never know if what your saying is actually being processed or not." She explained, to the whole team, who had gained interest in the matter and were listening intently.

"I bet it did. Thanks, Pen." Morgan said, sighing. "I probably couldn't have explained that so well to them. They listen so well to you."

"Yeah, you probably would've yelled, which is actually the least affective way to get a point across, especially toddlers and adolescents." Reid agreed, looking at Morgan innocently.

"Yeah, and who asked you, kid?" Derek asked, shoving Reid's shoulder.

"Ow!" Reid exclaimed.

"Stop fighting, children." Rossi demanded, sarcastically.

"Speaking of, where are the children now?" Hotch questioned.

"Their bedroom. I heard them talking, but that was like an hour ago. It's silent now though, so they're asleep." Penelope announced proudly. Getting two teenagers to bed on time isn't always easy.

"Good." Reid said. Morgan nodded.

"That all?" Hotch asked.

"Yes, sir!" Penelope responded.

"Then I'll talk to you tomorrow, Penelope. See you."

"Bye." She said, before her image went black.

Morgan rubbed his head, inwardly worried about Bella and her goal about being in the BAU. Sitting down next to Prentiss and across from Hotch, he reached into his bag for his iPod. Laid on top of all his belongings was an envelope with _**Derek**_ written on it in red. He immediately remembered Bella handing him the letter. Snatching it up, he carefully ripped it open, hoping its contents would make his worrying stop. Inside was a letter written in red ink.

_**Hi Derek!**_

_**It's Bella! Well, you know that because I handed this to you, but still. Anyways, I wrote this letter to let you know that I miss you. Every second of everyday. Really :) Just like I did when I was back in Chicago. But now, I know you're coming back really soon. Right? Also, this letter is to remind you to BE SAFE. Do what's necessary to catch the UnSub, but I swear if I find out you did something reckless…you don't even want to know what I'll do to you! And don't think that I won't check. I will totally ask Aaron. But really, you are the favorite, most important person in my entire world and I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt. So be careful. And this doesn't just go for you. For Reid and Prentiss and Jayje and Dave and Aaron, too. I don't want to find out ANY of you did ANYTHING reckless or stupid. Ha, I sound like Grandma Fran…But in all seriousness, DON'T BE STUPID. And last, this letter is to tell you to stop worrying about me. And Andrew. I know you, you'll worry for no reason. Trust me, we're just at home. We'll be fine. You left us in the most pristine care in all of Virginia. Just focus on the case, so you can get home soon. Okay? Thank you.**_

_**I love you to the moon and back,**_

_**Isabella Ashley Morgan :)**_

Morgan chuckled, feeling better immediately. He laid the letter down on the table in front of him.

"A letter?" Hotch asked softly.

"From Bella." Morgan specified, pushing it towards him to read. "She knows me so well. I don't know how she does it."

"Well, you're practically her father. Shouldn't she know you well?" Emily pointed out.

Morgan froze at the word 'father'. "I've never really thought about it like that…I guess I am kinda like her father, huh?"

"Well, yeah. She lives with you, loves you, and fights with you yet respects your opinion above anyone else's in this world. She wants to be just like you and heck, she even looks like you! You sound like a father to me." Emily said, smiling.

"Yeah, I guess I am…." Morgan responded, grin spreading across his face. "But still, should she be able to…predict my emotions like that?"

Hotch put down the letter. "Maybe she's a better profiler than you expect. And that letter is very kind. Bella is a good kid."

"Let me see!" Emily exclaimed, picking up the letter and scanning it.

"Come on, Hotch. She's fifteen. She can't be coming on cases." Morgan replied.

"Oh, I know. I'm just saying that in that letter, she profiled you and was right. While now may not be the time, maybe a job here in 10 to 15 years would be a good thing, in the long run." Hotch stated, taking a big sip of his water bottle.

Morgan just stared, processing the thought until Emily spoke up.

"Aw, this letter is adorable!" She cried. "You're so lucky. I want to have kid."

Hotch suddenly choked on his water. Emily froze and flushed bright red.

"Whoa! You okay, man?" Morgan replied, shocked.

After a few more seconds of coughing and sputtering, Hotch stopped. "Just fine." He replied, panting. He looked up at Emily who was looking out the window.

Morgan just looked between the two of them, confused, when suddenly JJ, who was sitting with Spencer on the seats opposite them, started cracking up.

Emily's head whipped around, shooting JJ the most obvious glare ever given.

"What's the matter, Emily?" JJ asked between laughs.

Emily just grumbled and said she was tired, pointedly not making eye contact with anybody. Everyone was smirking, except Hotch.

"Maybe we should all get some rest." Hotch suggested. "Lots to do tomorrow."

"I figured you'd mention that." Morgan replied before placing his headphones in his ears, leaning back and closing his eyes.

Everyone began to settle down, except JJ and Spencer who decided to finish their game on Gin before heading to sleep. They remained silent for a couple of minutes, but as soon as Spencer was sure no one would hear, he leaned close to JJ.

"I didn't get it." He whispered, embarrassed. "What was so funny?"

JJ just shook her head, holding back more laughter.

**Terribly boring chapter. I apologize. But more almost immediately as the next chapter was originally part of this one, but it was way long so I split it into two. So, the other one is completely done. Faster you review, fast I update (:**


	8. Chapter 8

**Told you I'd be quick. Hopefully this'll make up for the last one.**

Morning came, as it did every day and the kids rotated between the bathroom and bedroom to get ready, as usual. It was Thursday and early that morning the team had caught their Unsub and saved an almost-victim. Soon, two drowsy, uniformed children made their way into the kitchen. Surprisingly, Penelope Garcia bustling around the kitchen, putting away pots and such. Two plates of eggs, toast and turkey bacon sat on the table before them.

"I made you guys a quick breakfast! I've got to get to the BAU. We have some finishing stuff to work on. The guys will land tonight, at seven. After school, we're going to go pick them up and go out to dinner. Michael will be here at the usual time. I'll see you after school, have a great day!" She said, grabbing her bags and belongings before planting a kiss on each of their foreheads and rushing out of the house as if she was late, even though she was ahead of schedule, as usual. It was insane how she could stay up so late and still be cheery and productive in the morning.

The duo sat at the table eating almost silently, still not fully awake yet. After eating they went and collected their belongings from their room and decided to sit outside, as Michael would be there any second. They made their way out of the front door, which Andrew locked on his way out, and then sat on the front steps. It was relatively quiet despite the sound of some twittering birds.

"UGHHHH." Bella moaned out of the blue. Andrew turned and stared at her, his puzzlement apparent. "It's early." She added squeezing her eyes shut in hopes to make the bright sun dull itself.

Andrew responded by simply busting out laughing uncontrollably. Of course, Bella joined leaning against him. She opened her eyes, still giggling and found Andrew looking down on her, still laughing as well. As they stayed there, laughing for no apparent reason Bella couldn't help but admire the way the sun reflected off his golden hair and how up close, his green eyes weren't normal eye-green but grass green. She even noticed he had a few freckles sprinkled across his nose. _Andrew is really cute. _She thought to herself. _It's a shame Justin is a jerk, 'cuz with a face like that, Andrew wouldn't have trouble being quite popular with the ladies. _

Her process of thought must have made her laughter die down because now, she realized, she was just having some kind of intense staring contest with Andrew as she leaned on him.

**HONK!** Michael arrived and beeped the horn to get the kids attention, causing Bella to shoot up off Andrew's shoulder and grab her stuff. She helped Andrew up and the two walked through the open car door. Traffic was heavier than usual and they pulled up to school just as the first bell rang. They both sprinted from the car, without even waiting for Michael to open the door.

"BYE MICHEAL!" They shouted, rushing across the lawn.

-:-

After the being bored to death for the majority of the day, both teens were relived to hear the bell releasing them into last period, where they had made plans to leave 5 minutes early.

Bella went in and sat in her usual seat. To her dismay, Justin, who had been absent since Monday, came in and immediately sat down next to her. To her delight, as soon as he did, the bell ran and Mr. Squires began blabbering about some educational stuff. Bella immediately took out her yellow spiral and took notes. After about ¾ of class was over, Mr. Squires handed out a handout for a pair-project, then released them to make pairs and get started. The whole class sprung to action, pairing up.

Justin turned to Bella. "Partners?"

"Um, sorry. I already told Sasha I'd be her partner! Right, Sash?" Bella lied, grabbing Sasha, a sweet girl who Bella had almost all her classes with, by the arm.

"Um, yeah!" Sasha replied, taking a hint.

"Oh, okay…cool. I know you must've missed me. Why didn't you call?" Justin asked.

"Um, lost your number?"

"Hmm, well then. I have a way you make it up to me. See, the end of the year dance in a couple of weeks? You want to go with me right?" Justin questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Sasha gasped excitedly. Part of the class that had been eavesdropping on their conversation got quiet. Someone walked in and Mr. Squires chatted happily with them in the background.

But the classes' attention remained on the supposed "coolest guy in the 10th grade" and the girl who he just asked out.

"Um, no. I can't." Bella replied, earning herself a big slap on the arm from Sasha.

Justin's eyes narrowed and Bella could immediately tell he was angry. This wasn't going to be fun. "What? Do you already have a date? Is it your little dork friend?"

Bella clenched her fists. Only friends could call Andrew a dork. And Justin was the furthest thing from a friend. "Okay, don't call him a dork. A dork is slang for penis or a type of Australian fish. He's a person. And what if I was going with Andrew? He'd be a great date, because unlike some, he isn't a JERK who goes around spreading lies to seem cool, even though he's an asshole. Yeah, he told me. And you know what? Somehow, I didn't find it funny. Oh and just so you know, I didn't lose your number, I just threw it away because the thought of going out with you makes me want to puke."

Everything was really quiet for a couple of seconds.

"Well, if you like him so much then why don't you go just make out with him right now?" Justin growled, pointing at the door.

Bella whipped around to discover Andrew standing next to Mr. Squires (who was staring at Bella, shocked at her outburst).

Andrew smiled weakly and raised a hand. "Heh, I finished my work pretty fast, so I…I came early." Everyone continued to stare. "We can go now, Bella. Right, Mr. Squires?" Andrew added.

Mr. Squires nodded. "But I'll need to see you in the hall before you leave, Isabella."

Bella nodded and grabbed her things.

"You're dead to me, Bitch." Justin snarled, quietly.

"You were never even important enough to be alive to me, jerk." She responded.

"That was pretty intense. And awesome. Like the Hills!" Sasha whispered to Bella as she walked out.

Bella smiled, nodded and followed Mr. Squires and Andrew out of the room, terrified at the consequences of her outburst.

-:-

Next thing Bella knew, she was sitting in the office, Andrew by her side. Not because he was in trouble, but because he requested to stay and seeing as he had no work to do, they allowed it. Bella wasn't actually in too much trouble, though. She explained the entire situation to Mr. Squires and then retold for the AP as well. They decided to let her off with a simple warning. However, she had to tell her guardian to explain. In other case she wouldn't be afraid, but since her guardian was Derek Morgan, she was trembling.

Under the circumstances, contacting her guardian meant calling Garcia to the school and having her work her techie magic and phone the team, namely Derek, on the Jet to explain (because school policy specified that call must be made from the campus to be sure it was legitimate).

After waiting what felt like hours, Garcia arrived. The AP led her over to the computer, and she began typing unbelievably fast.

"Penelope." Bella said standing up.

Garcia's hand shot up. "Save it, little missy. You're in major trouble. You're uncle is going to kill you."

Bella sat down and looked at Andrew.

"It'll be fine." He mouthed encouragingly.

"No, it will not, sir. Quit giving her false hope." Penelope scolded, somehow seeing the tiny exchange from her spot at the computer, which was hooked up to the school phone. "Cussing out a student. In the middle of class. Really, Bella? I'm disappointed. What could this kid possibly have done that was so bad that you had to-"

"It was Justin, Pen. And he was making fun of Andrew. In front of everybody. I couldn't just let him. So, I…kind of released the floodgates on my anger and next thing I know, I'm cussing him out." Bella said quietly, looking into her lap.

Penelope looked up, shocked. "Isabella Ashley Morgan." She stated, monotone. "That is possibly the bravest thing you've ever done. I can't say I'm proud you cussed, but I am proud you stood up for your friend. I bet if you explain that to Derek, he will be more understanding. I'm not saying he won't yell, but he won't kill you." She admitted, shooting Bella a brief smile and getting a glare from the AP.

She quickly resumed typing and within minutes, she had the phone in hand, ready to use.

"It was very difficult to get service for a school phone to a FBI jet, but I did it." She stated cockily.

Bella took the phone and dialed Derek's cell, her heart feeling like it was to explode.

-:-

Derek fingered the tiny folded piece of paper in his hands. It was the note from Bella. It was ripped on the corners and the creases were worn as he carried it around, reading it whenever he missed his niece, which was often.

His phone rang.

He glanced at the number on the screen. It was a number he didn't know, which was odd as only certain phones had the access and ability to call phones on the jet. He held up the phone for Reid to see.

"Recognize this number?" He asked.

"788-9944. That's Summit." Reid responded.

"The kid's school?"

"Yep. Pick it up, it's gotta be important." Reid advised.

"Hello?" Morgan said, cautiously.

"Derek?" A tiny voice said.

"Bells? You okay? Everything alright?"

"Um, yes. It's just...I got in a fight today, not physical, just verbal and…I cussed a student out."

"Excuse me? I know you must have the wrong number because the Isabella Ashley Morgan I know wouldn't do that." He said sternly. Now most of the team on the plane was openly listening to the conversation.

"I…" She began, but Morgan cut her off.

"What did you say to her?" He demanded to know.

"…It was a him." Bella admitted nervously.

"A boy? Isabella! What is wrong with you?" Morgan asked, getting angry.

"Listen. Just listen, let me explain. It was this kid, Justin…"

"Oh, the one with the note who you thought was cute?" Morgan questioned.

"Yeah, Wait, how'd you know that?" She asked, before realizing the only was if Andrew told Derek. "I'm gonna kill Andrew!" She added before continuing. "Um, well, anyways. He asked me to the dance and…"

"He asked you to the dance? What dance? I need to talk to this kid?" Morgan practically yelled. Every eyebrow on the jet went up.

"Bella called Morgan to gossip?" JJ asked.

"Sounds like it." Said Hotch and Rossi at the same time.

"Put it on speaker!" Prentiss whisper-yelled. Morgan obliged, simply to shut them up.

"Listen! Yes, he asked me, but I knew he was a jerk to Andrew, so I declined. He got angry and asked if I already had a date, namely Andrew. Then, he called Andrew a dork in front of my whole class. So, on instinct, I told him dork is slang for…well, penis and/ or an Australian fish...It was the first thing that came to mind!"

Derek threw Spencer a look. Spencer flushed pink.

"Then," Bella continued. "I said that at least Andrew isn't a jerk who spreads rumors to be cool like Justin who is a…um, a-hole. And I said that Andrew told me what happened and I thought it wasn't funny. And then I told Justin I didn't lose his phone number like I told him, but I threw it away because the thought of dating him made me want to puke. Then it was awkward and quiet. And then Justin told me that I should go make out with Andrew because he was right behind me."

"Um, wow...Wait, you didn't, did you?" Morgan asked, only half-joking.

"Didn't what?"

"Make out with Andrew?" Derek repeated, causing the whole team to snicker.

"DEREK!" Bella yelled.

"Well? Did you?" He asked again.

"No, of course not! Why would I…never mind." Bella sighed.

"Bells?"

"Yeah?"

"You shouldn't have cussed and been so harsh to the kid." Derek explained softly.

"But he was really asking for…" Bella exhaled. "Yes, I know."

"But, I'm glad you stood up for your friend. Is Andrew okay?"

"Yeah, he's right here. He's fine." Bella turned and consulted Andrew. "You are fine, right?"

"Oh, yeah." Andrew replied, smiling.

"Yeah, he's cool." Bella confirmed. "Are we cool? Or am I in mega-trouble?"

"Initially, yes. You were in trouble. Now, I think I understand your reasoning, so no. But Bells, I'm not kidding. Anything else. Anything at all, and I'll have to send you home."

"So? I'd pick home over school any day!" Bella exclaimed.

"No, I mean Chicago." Derek stated.

"Oh. Okay." Bella replied, quietly.

"I'm glad you're okay though and I'll see you soon, okay?"

"'Kay, bye Derek. Bye everyone who is listening in." Bella added, smiling.

"Bye…" Everyone mumbled, laughing lightly.

Derek hung up and sighed. "Her fourth day of school and she already got in a fight."

"She is a good kid. Just short-tempered and caring." Emily said, smiling.

"You got that right!" Morgan exclaimed, nodding.

Hotch put his hand on Morgan's shoulder. "She takes after her uncle."

Morgan scoffed, laughing. "Well, apparently, she's picking up some Reid stuff, too. The Australian fish?"

Reid shook his head. "Hey, hey. I never told her to go cuss out some boy using that."

"But she did!" Morgan retorted.

"Yeah, she did. Man, cussing out a guy. One of the cool guys, too, according to Andrew. She's got guts. I couldn't have done that in high school." JJ admitted.

"Neither could I." Emily agreed.

Hotch couldn't help but bug Emily. "Well, you easily could've scared them. You were kind of…alternative back then, weren't you? At least, that's what your yearbook picture hinted at." He said, referring to the large haired, all-black high school photo of Emily that Garcia had passed around a few months prior.

Emily's cheeks burned at the memory of her Goth days. "You saw that?"

"Hotch sees everything, Emily. You should know that by now." Rossi pointed out.

The team laughed. "Well, there's one thing for sure, Derek." JJ said.

"What?" He asked.

"Bella is going to be the death of you." JJ replied.

Derek chuckled. "Yes. At this rate, she will be."

**Review and all your dreams will come true. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. For a little bit, this story is going to be random moments between BAU and the kids throughout the end of school and summer. Soon, a major event will happen and the story will take on the continuous form :) Hope you like it! Also, I posted two new one-shots, you should go check them out. Happy reading!**

Weeks passed and things became routine. Work for the adults, school for the kids, BAU, home. During cases, Penelope kept the kids. Reid and Morgan always took the kids out for dinner on Fridays, sometimes with other team members, other times not. On Saturdays, Bella and Andrew always hung out around town together, with Michael tagging along for supervision. Saturday nights were nights for Morgan to go out, so the two teens hung out at home, sometimes with a team member to watch them, sometimes with nobody. When the kids arrived at the BAU, everyone was usually on their break, so they took a few minutes to listen how the kid's days went. On Wednesdays, when the whole team wasn't on a case, the girls took out Bella for dinner and the boys took out Andrew. Occasionally, they would switch though and the boys would take Bella and the girls would take Andrew. It was a good system.

It was Saturday and Andrew and Bella were wandering throughout town. They had decided to check out some of the older part of town and ended up finding a mega-cool antique shop. They bought two old yo-yos and were trying to maneuver them, when they spotted a tiny ice cream parlor and decided to go eat there. They motioned to Michael, asking for permission to run ahead. He nodded and they rushed inside, immediately overcome with the sugary sweet smell of ice cream. There was a long bar and the duo plopped down on the high chairs, saying their orders to the smiley, redhead waitress. As they waited for their ice cream, Bella and Andrew fought over whose flavor decision was better, when a familiar laugh filled the air.

"Was it just me or did that sound like…?" Bella began.

"Emily!" Andrew whisper-exclaimed, averting his eyes to the back of the parlor. There in the very back was Emily. She was smiling laughing at something a tall, dark-haired man whose back was to them, had said. "Look, she's over there."

"And look, she's holding hands with that guy! She's on a date." Bella exclaimed quietly. "Go Em."

The redhead came back with their ice cream setting it down in front of them.

"Let's get a look at the guy, see if he's worthy!" Andrew said, handing the waitress the money and grabbing his ice cream. Emily and her mystery man stood up.

"They're standing up!" Bella panicked softly. The kids turned and ducked their heads, still keeping an eye on them. The man put his arm around Emily and they made their was towards the exit.

"Hotch?" Bella and Andrew said, temporarily forgetting their hushed voices.

Realizing they had just yelled, Andrew flipped up the hood on his jacket. Bella didn't have a hood, so in the spur of the moment, Bella leaned over and flung her arms around him pretending to cry. Andrew pretended to be comforting her. Hotch and Emily froze, glancing around. At first, they didn't suspect anything, but Hotch saw Michael standing outside talking on the phone. He nudged Emily and pointed to Michael with his chin.

"Bella and Andrew are here somewhere." He whispered, smirking.

Emily's eyes swept the room once more, landing on the crying girl with the black waves. That was Bella's hair. She pointed to them silently. Hotch smiled and nodded and they made their way over to the pair.

Emily leaned close to the teen's ducked heads. "Why so sad?"

Bella stopped fake crying and the two lifted their heads slowly. "Oh, hey guys. What are you doing here?" Andrew tried, innocently.

"Yeah, don't try that with me. I know you saw us." Emily said.

"We didn't see you guys holding hands!" Bella exclaimed. "Did we Andrew?"

"Nope! We saw nothing of the sort." Andrew replied.

Hotch laughed. "You guys don't need to pretend you didn't see."

"We…don't?" Bella asked, confused.

"No." Emily said. "I just think we need to talk."

Emily and Hotch sat down next to the two of them. Hotch took a deep breath. "Yes, Emily and I are dating. We have been for about two months. And no, we haven't told the team. And we want to keep it like that. It's pretty obvious with the whole…over dressed thing that happened a few weeks ago, but we don't want to announce it officially until later. Could you guys help us out?"

"We won't tell anyone, right?" Bella asked, turning to Andrew.

"Yeah, I just have one question. What about the fraternization rules?"

"Well, no one really follows those anyways!" Emily blurted. Hotch gave her a look. She smiled sheepishly and added "It's true!"

"There are ways around the rules. But can we count on you to not say anything?" Hotch asked, looking desperate.

Both teens nodded. "Can I talk to you, Hotch?" Andrew asked, nervously. He looked over at the two girls. "Alone, I mean."

"Sure." Hotch said.

Emily stood. "Come on, Bells. I saw this vintage dress shop up the street. Let's go check it out."

Emily planted a quick kiss on Hotch's cheek then exited the ice cream parlor with Bella, both giggling about how Hotch blushed when she kissed him.

As soon as the girls were out of earshot, Hotch turned to Andrew.

"So, you like Bella?" Hotch asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No!" Andrew exclaimed.

"Really? Well, the way you just watched her leave told me otherwise." Hotch said.

"We're just friends." Andrew assured. "However, I want to ask her to the dance. Just as friends. I just…don't know how to do that, exactly."

Hotch chuckled. "So, you are asking me? Not Morgan or Spencer?"

"Well, yes! Because asking Morgan how to ask out his niece is an equation for awkward. And Spencer, come on! He's great and all, but not so smooth with the ladies."

"And I am? Smooth with the ladies, I mean?" Hotch asked. Surprised.

"Um, you're dating Emily Prentiss. That's got to take some skill."

Hotch shrugged. "Good point."

"So, Bella…how should I proceed in…asking her, as friends, to the dance?"

Hotch thought for a second, then all of a sudden in came to him. He quickly explained his plan to Andrew. An hour of planning later, the girls walked back into the shop, both carrying large bags.

"Hey guys. Finish your talk?" Emily asked, setting down a bag.

"As a matter of fact, we did. And it seems like you two found something to do, as well." Hotch said, eyeing the bags.

"I don't get it. An _hour_ of just looking at clothes? Sounds torturous." Andrew stated.

Hotch smiled and placed a hand on the boys' shoulder. "Some things, we will never understand."

The girls laughed.

"You know what?" Emily said. "Call Michael and tell him we'll take you guys home. Let's go out to eat somewhere. All four of us. Does that sound good?"

"Yes!" Bella exclaimed. "Let me just ask Derek and let Michael know."

"I'll ask Spence." Andrew said, whipping out his cell.

"Good." Hotch said.

-:-

A couple hours and an Italian dinner later, Hotch had to drop the kids home. They dropped off Bella first, then made way to Spencer's apartment. On the way, Hotch and Andrew went over the plan with Emily, telling her to let the other girls know. When they got to Spencer's apartment, Andrew unbuckled and got out. Hotch opened his window.

"So, Monday, right?" Andrew asked.

"Yes. Are you nervous?" Hotch questioned. Andrew nodded frantically.

"That's sweet." Emily said from the passenger seat.

Hotch smiled. "Don't be. She said it herself, you'll be a great date."

Andrew nodded. "But…just as friends."

"Yeah. Just as friends." Hotch agreed, trying to hide his smile.

Andrew nodded and walked to his front door, letting himself in. Once he was inside, he turned and waved.

"You really think he likes her as 'just as a friend'? Emily asked as Hotch drove off.

"Nope, not at all." Hotch stated, smirking.

-:-

**BRRRRINGGG.** It was Monday and the bell rang, dismissing Bella from her last period class. She gathered her things and made her way to her locker. As usual, there was Andrew, leaning on it.

"Hey. She said, pushing past him and opening her locker. She placed in her books and grabbed her bag. "Ready to go?"

"Actually, I… promised me he'd go over a new computer program with me. It's brand new and I really want to-"

Bella cut him off. "It's alright. Go take care of your dorky urges." She teased ruffling his hair. "I'll catch up with you later."

"Um, cool. See you!" Andrew called, before spinning on his heel and running down the hall.

Bella chuckled as he watched his receding form. Shaking her head, she made her way out of the school. She walked down the marble steps and made her way to Michael's usual spot. As she was getting into the car, she saw in his car, pulling out of the parking lot. Her heart sank. Andrew lied. She sat in the back fuming and wondering where he _really_ was the whole way to the BAU. Once there, she rushed into the BAU doors, planning on going to the girls to complain about how dumb boys are. However, when she held out her pass to the security guard, he just smiled and handed her a yellow rose. She gave him a questioning look. He motioned for her to take it. She took it slowly, realizing a card was attached. _**Conference room **_was all it said. Confused, she looked up at the guard, who winked. Andrew's lie forgotten, she pushed through the glass doors and hurried up the stairs. She walked down the hall and opened the door to the conference room. Andrew was standing there, panting and pale.

"Hey, Bella." He said. "Sorry I lied…I just…will you, as friends, go to the dance with me?"

**That's it! Well, for now. Review, please! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! Read this chapter and tell me what you think! I'm not sure if I want to continue this story, because I'm not sure if people like it. I don't want to keep writing if no one is reading it, haha. So, review or PM or something to tell me if I should quit or keep going. Thanks :]**

Derek walked down the hall of the BAU, fresh cup of coffee in his hand. He sat down, waiting for Bella and Andrew to bust through the glass doors and tell him about their day, when he noticed that the bullpen was rather quiet. None of the team was at their desks, but rather crowded around the conference room door. Morgan set down his coffee and went to investigate.

"Well, actually, sound doesn't travel through wood that well. It would be much more effective if-" Reid was saying to everyone crowded around the door.

"Reid." Rossi cut him off.

"Shut up!" Prentiss and Penelope whispered, pressing their ears to the door.

Morgan walked up and tapped Prentiss's shoulder. "What's going on?"

"Andrew is asking Bella to the dance." Prentiss whispered excitedly.

Morgan's eyes widened. "What? Now? I thought it was later!"

"No, it's now! Now quiet! Is he saying anything yet?" Emily questioned the group eagerly.

"Does Hotch know you guys are doing this?" Morgan asked Penelope quietly.

"Boss man seems to have gotten pretty close with our little teen duo." She explained.

She giggled and moved aside revealing Hotch pressed to the door next to Reid. His eyes were scrunched up in determination as he struggled to hear.

Morgan smiled and shook his head. Then Hotch whispered. "He just asked her. She hasn't said anything."

Morgan, suddenly intrigued, pushed through the crowd and pressed his ear to the door.

-:-

Bella stood frozen as Andrew reached behind his back and pulled out 5 other yellow roses. He walked forward and handed them to her. She saw his cheeks were pink.

He looked up. "It's alright if you don't want to go with me. I mean, I'm sure other guys asked you and you'd much r-rather go…"

"No!" Bella exclaimed. Realizing she yelled, she looked down and blushed. "Um, I mean, yes, other people asked me, but I'd much rather go with you.

-:-

"Whoa!" Morgan exclaimed softly on the other side of the door. "Hold up. Did she just scream no?"

Reid sighed, "I think she did."

"She _screamed_ no?" Penelope clarified.

Hotch nodded. "I can't hear that well, but she definitely yelled no…"

"Poor Andrew…" Emily whispered. "He was so excited about taking her."

"Shh." Morgan replied. "They're whispering."

-:-

"Really?" Andrew asked softly.

"Well, yeah." Bella said. "You're way better than those other guys anyways."

A grin spread across Andrews face. "You think?"

"Oh, of course. Sure they have 'good hair' and their 'buff' or whatever, but you're funny, and you understand my FBI obsession. And, you're really sweet." She answered, blushing at the last part. She leaned really close to Andrew's face. Now it was his time to blush. "And, um, to tell you the truth…you have pretty good hair yourself." She whispered, ruffling his sandy hair.

Andrew chuckled lightly.

"So…" Bella said.

"Um, I guess we should go out there." Andrew said, gesturing towards the door.

Bella smirked. "I guess we should." She reached for the door handle.

"Wait!" Andrew yelled catching her hand, and pulling her away from the door. He lowered his voice. "Um, just to warn you. I had to have some help form the team to set all this up, so…they know. And I told them not to eavesdrop, but…it's the team, so I'm quite certain they're all outside that door."

-:-

"He just yelled wait." Hotch reported to the team, who were all still crowded around the door.

"Do you think he's trying to convince her? Like, begging?" JJ asked.

"He wouldn't...would he?" Morgan asked, turning to Reid.

"Um, I'm not sure…" Spencer replied, sounding worried.

"Teenage boys can be desperate." Rossi pointed out.

-:-

"You're probably right. They can be kinda nosy. I don't want them to be there when we walk out. It'll be…awkward." Bella whispered. "What should we do?"

"Yeah. Um…I know! Just be really loud and announce we're leaving and they'll freak out and scatter. Right?" Andrew replied.

"Perfect. That'll work. Okay…um...you start." Bella whispered back.

"Um…I'm gonna go get some water now!" Andrew yelled.

"I'll be going now, too!" Bella practically screamed, holding back laughter.

-:-

"They're yelling again." Penelope said, sounding upset.

"Yeah, and they're coming out!" Panicked Morgan. "Just…spread out and act natural."

Just as predicted, the team scattered and acted like they hadn't been listening in.

-:-

Bella and Andrew walked towards the door. Bella was about to reach out to grab the handle, again, when she realized that Andrew had never let go of her hand when he first pulled her away from the door. Because of the flowers, both of her hands were full and she couldn't grab the handle. Andrew, also realizing they were holding hands, quickly let go.

"Sorry." He mumbled, blushing and avoiding eye contact.

"S'okay." She replied, doing the same. She reached forward with her now-free hand and opened the door.

-:-

"They're both blushing. And not making eye contact." Emily observed from her desk, where she was pretending to work.

JJ, who was standing next to Reid's empty desk and flipping through random case files, groaned. "That's not a good sign. I think she said no. I wonder what happened."

Derek spun in his chair and watched Bella, who was walking over to their desks. "Well, we'll find out soon."

"Hey guys." Bella greeted softly.

Everyone looked up and feigned surprise. They all greeted her cheerily.

"Where were you?" Emily asked casually.

Bella looked at them accusingly. "Oh, please. Like you don't know."

Emily sighed. "I know." She looked up to where Hotch, Reid, Penelope and Rossi were standing with Andrew, chatting. "Poor kid."

Bella's eyebrows scrunched together. "Poor kid?"

"Yeah." Emily said. "I mean, you know we love you Bella and we respect your decision, but I can't help but feel bad for him."

"What?" Bella asked, sounding hurt.

"Come on, Bells. He has to settle for nothing." Derek said, still thinking Bella had declined Andrew.

Bella's eyes began to water a bit. "Nothing?" She repeated, her voice shaking.

"Bella, why are you upset?" Derek asked, confused.

"Why am I upset? You guys are…maybe I won't go with him if I'm 'nothing'!" She replied angrily.

JJ cocked an eyebrow. "Wait, you said yes?"

"Well, yeah…" Bella replied, her voice softening.

"But you screamed no at him!" Emily countered.

Bella's eyes narrowed. "What? No, I didn't."

"But we heard you!" Morgan replied.

"Well, you must of heard wrong! That's what you get for eavesdropping." Bella scolded.

"Wait, so to clarify, you and Andrew are going together?" JJ asked.

Bella nodded. "Yes!"

Emily and JJ smiled engulfed her with hugs.

Morgan chuckled. "Congrats, Bells. And I'm sorry about the misunderstanding, that must've sounded pretty brutal, now that I think about it…"

"Yeah! It did." Bella said, placing a hand on a hip. "And it wouldn't have happened if you guys didn't eavesdrop!"

"Oh, Bella. Can you really hate us for caring?" JJ asked, shooting her the most wide-eyes innocent smile she had.

"Well, no, but-" Bella began.

"Hey, Bells." Andrew said, cutting her off. "Sorry, I just…you said you needed help with 's homework and I thought maybe…"

"Oh. Sure. Let's go." Bella said. She turned to Morgan, JJ and Emily. "I'll deal with you guys later."

Morgan chuckled as he watched his niece and her friend make their way to the stairs. As they walked Bella reached over and tugged Andrew's tie, for no apparent reason. Morgan saw Andrew reach over and tug on Bella's back. Just as Bella reached out to grab his again, he jumped up a couple of the steps, right out of her reach. Bella giggled, stepping on the first stair where a loose-leaf piece of paper was laying. As soon her shoe connected with the paper, her foot slipped. There was a small gasp and a sickening crack.

Morgan jumped up and rushed over to her as Andrew crouched next her, apologizing over and over, like it was his fault.

"Bella, are you alright?" Derek demanded, squatting next to Andrew.

Bella looked up with her eyes watering. "Um, yeah. But my knee." She rasped, the pain apparent in her voice.

Morgan looked down and sure enough, there was red liquid seeping through Bella's black tights. Scooping her up, Morgan carried her over to his desk, followed by Andrew. He propped up her right leg on the desk. JJ and Emily rushed over, realizing what happened.

"Is she okay?" Emily asked, worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Bella protested, though the tears falling down her cheeks told another story.

"Her knee's bleeding, I need to find out what's wrong." Morgan stated in his stern voice.

He grabbed the scissors out of his desk and gently cut a slit in her tights. Bella winced. Morgan pulled back the black nylon and saw that her knee was disfigured and bleeding profusely.

"JJ, tell Hotch what happened. I'm taking her to the ER." Morgan demanded. JJ nodded and hurried up the stairs, plucking the offending piece of paper off the ground as he went.

Morgan lifted Bella gently, making his way to the doors.

"S-Sorry!" Andrew called, as held open the door for them.

"Don't be crazy, kid. You didn't do anything." Morgan reassured, though he looked like he was going to have a heart attack.

"Oh. Um, thanks. Can…can I come? To the ER? Only if you want me to, Bells." Andrew asked.

Bella smiled softly and nodded.

"I'll call Spence from the car." Andrew saw before running to hold open the next door for them.

-:-

An hour later, Morgan, Andrew and Bella, now dressed in two hospital gowns (she refused to have the back opened, so wore one forwards and one backwards), sat in an all white, chemical-scented room. Bella's leg was thickly wrapped from her lower thigh to her mid-shin.

"It'll take a long time to fully recover and she may need physical therapy afterwards. However, I'm wondering why her knee shattered so easily. Have you had any past injuries to that knee?" The doctor asked Bella.

Before she could open her mouth, Morgan cut in. "She had a knee dislocation on that leg when she was a toddler, but she went for treatment for that and she also fractured it in the fifth grade, trying to jump off of a swing." He answered automatically.

Bella looked on in awe. "You remembered."

"Of course, baby." Morgan replied, before turning to the doctor.

The doctor sighed. "Well, that most definitely could weaken up the knee. Your knee cracked in three places. One of the bone shards had pierced skin on the inner knee. Thankfully, it wasn't wedged at a terrible angle and easily pushed it back in place. The cut will heal quickly. You'll be in a full leg boot for at least a month. After that, a smaller brace can be used. The bones just need be set back in place so they can heal in the right position. If not, you'll need surgery. However, your case isn't so bad, I think you'll heal up fine."

"The dance…" Bella mumbled.

"Bella." Exclaimed Derek. "Don't worry about that. At least your leg is fine."

"Yeah, Bells. It's alright. You don't need to go to the dance with me. I'm just glad you're okay." Andrew admitted shyly, earning an appreciative glance from Morgan.

"What?" Bella asked. "Of course I'm still going. I was just thinking, I'm going to look beyond weird in a boot."

Andrew brightened and Morgan laughed. "You are crazy, little miss." Morgan replied, shaking his head.

"Okay, Isabella. Let's get you booted up. We'll get you some crutches, too. I know it doesn't hurt right now because we applied EMLA before moving the bones and wrapping it, but walking may be strange and painful at first. Your uncle and boyfriend can wait out in the lobby for you. Then, you can head home."

Bella smiled. "Okay. I'll just- Wait! Andrew's not my boyfriend." She defended quickly.

"Yeah, just friends." Andrew added, his face flushing.

The doctor threw an apologetic grin at the kids. "I apologize. I just assumed with him being here and the talk about dances." He turned to Andrew. "You're a good friend, being here for her. She's lucky."

Andrew shrugged and walked out the door, followed by a smirking Morgan.

-:-

"Hey, Gimpy." Rossi teased, as Morgan, Andrew and a limping Bella walked into the BAU, half an hour later.

"Oh hush up." Bella scolded lightly.

Hotch couldn't help but to tease a bit as well. "Bella, I don't understand. How is it that a couple months with you can be way more event-filled than the past 5 years. I mean, dances, boys, falling down stairs. You're like a magnet for odd situations." He pointed out, keeping his usual Hotch-face.

"Imagine 15 years with this one. Talk about some crazy situations." Morgan added, making Bella pout even more. Everyone laughed.

The team split up, finishing papers and packing up belongings. As Bella scooped up her stuff into her bag, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to find Andrew, standing there, looking nervous.

"I, um, emailed from my phone and told him what happened. You have an extension for the homework. 'Til Wednesday. I hope that's okay…I mean, I didn't mean to…um, is it okay that I did that?" He rambled.

Bella just reached out and tugged his tie. He smirked.

"What? Is that the new signal for yes? I hope it is." He asked.

"Nope." Bella replied, causing Andrew to pale. "It's the new signal for definitely. Or of course. Either one will work. Thanks, dork."

Morgan, who had asked her if she was okay ever other minute, signaled it was time to go. She turned to leave. After a few limp-steps, she turned back him. "You know, I never asked you if that's okay. Calling you dork, I mean. I know it's a sensitive spot and-"

Andrew cut her off. "No. I like it."

"So, it's okay?" She asked, smiling.

Andrew just walked out to Reid's car, tugging her tie lightly as he passed.

**So, crazy stuff happened. I wrote a rough copy of this on the plane to Canada, including the whole knee injury part, except the doctor notes. Then, my friend Crawford and I were at the beach and I slipped and hit my knee on a rock. It cracked, in three places. Just like how I wrote. Even the same knee! Weird, right? So, I wrote what the doctor said to me in real life on a little napkin and used a shortened version of it! Haha, awesome! Only one problem. I can't walk. And, I have an ugly boot D: …That's two problems. But anyways, review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Wow. Thanks for all the PMs and alerts and reviews. For the people who PM-ed about the review-issue, I'm really sorry! I'm not sure why it won't let you review, but I'll fix it! Thanks for letting me know. Here's the next chapter!**

Spencer Reid groggily sat up and turned off his alarm. 7:00. He stretched and ran a hand through his messy bed-hair before lazily getting up off his bed and padding down the hall. He stopped in front of Andrew's door, knocking softly before opening it to see the teen asleep at his desk again.

"Pst." Reid whispered, shaking him softly. "Wake up, Andrew. Last day of school."

Andrew lifted his head slowly, mumbling. "Thanks, Spence."

Spencer nodded once and exited, as usual. Both boys showered and got ready for the day. Andrew, eager once he got up, was ready early and poured both of them cereal and even made Spencer some coffee. Spencer walked in and saw the set up.

"Wow. Thanks. What's all this for?" He asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Um, nothing. You're just awesome, that's all." Andrew replied, shrugging.

Reid laughed. "I'm not all that awesome."

"No. You are. You took me in. With my mom being sick and all. You actually cared. That's something no one, except my parents, has done. And with my dad gone and my mom almost gone, that means a lot." Andrew pointed out, eyes shiny. "So, yes. You are awesome."

Reid took a breath, feeling bad. He had acquired a real soft spot for the kid. "You're welcome, kid. I'm really glad I took you in. But lots of people care for you. The whole team does." He said, ruffling his hair.

Andrew quickly fixed his hair. "Yep. You guys and my mom are like the only family I've got…" He mumbled.

"I know the feeling." Spencer replied. He shot an empathetic smile in Andrew's direction.

The two ate and drank in silence, until Spencer had to leave.

"Hey, I've gotta go, but tonight, we'll…hang. Okay?" Reid said, unsure what Andrew would say.

Andrew grinned. "Sure! Um, see you."

-:-

The last day of school was uneventful. Just emptying lockers, wishing happy summers to others and signing yearbooks. Andrew and Bella went out to their special staircase one last time for the year, eating junk and counting the number of their Tic-Tac-Toe games that were Sharpie-d onto the concrete. 43. They both went back to the BAU, but Bella didn't stay long as Derek whisked her away. He took a night off to treat her to a Derek-Bella bonding night that consisted of a bowling game (even though Bella had zero chance of winning, due to her unstable boot and her lack of bowling skills) and a dinner at her favorite restaurant. Morgan thought they could use some time to together and wanted to celebrate Bella's making it through a tough school year with All-A's.

Typically, Andrew would be lonely, but tonight, he was 'hanging out' with Spencer. They arrived home and changed into their pajamas, as it was already pretty late. Not sure what to do next, they both just sat on the couch and pondered what to do.

"Um, how 'bout chess?" Spencer suggested, after suggesting every board and card game known to man.

"Spence." Andrew groaned. "Can we not play something strategic?"

"Like what?"

"Um, I don't know." Andrew replied. "Like video games?"

"Video games?" Spencer repeated.

"Yeah." Andrew replied. "Do you know how to play Mario Kart?"

Spencer just stared at him.

Andrew smiled. "Okay, I have my Wii with my stuff! It'll take me like 10 minutes to hook it up, then I'll teach you."

"Um, okay." Spencer called, as Andrew ran from the room. "Though, I must warn you, I've never really been that into that kind of stuff.

-:-

"I just passed you!" Spencer bragged as his Luigi passed up Andrew's Mario, an hour later.

"What? How? I was in first!" Andrew complained, moving his remote around furiously.

The TV and Spencer went wild as Luigi crossed the finish line first.

Andrew groaned. "Are you sure you've never played this before?"

Reid laughed. "Yes, but you're wrong. It is strategic. You see…" He went off about his three-point plan on how to win every round as Andrew soaked it in, eagerly.

The boys kept playing, only stopping to try to make dinner then giving up and order from their usual place. The ate and played, not even blinking as the clock ticked past twelve, then one, then two in the morning. They were so busy, in fact, they totally forgot JJ was coming over the next day to help Andrew prepare for the dance.

-:-

Worried, Jennifer Jereau knocked on Spencer Reid's door one more time, as hard as she could. No response. She sighed, not sure what to do. Desperate, she looked underneath his doormat. Bingo. His house key. What an obvious place to hide it though…she'd have to remind him to change it. Sticking the key in the lock, she quickly unlocked the door and let herself in. She dropped her bag by the door and proceeded cautiously into his our. When she saw Andrew and Spencer sprawled out on the living room floor, completely knocked out, she panicked. Then she noticed the empty food containers, bowls of cereal, game remotes and blue TV screen. This was just the aftermath of a late-night game session. Laughing, she clicked off the TV and shook Spencer awake.

"JJ!" He exclaimed, sitting up. "I forgot! I'm so sorry, I…Wait, how'd you get in here?"

She smirked. "They key under the mat. First, off, do you know how stupidly cliché that is? A key under your doormat? Really…that's incredibly dangerous. What if I was a serial killer! You should know better. And second, don't even worry about it. Looks like you two were just having a good time. No harm done."

Spencer smiled. "Thanks. And, I'll change my key hiding place."

"Good." JJ replied, satisfied. She turned to Andrew, who was still asleep clutching a Wii remote like it was the Holy Grail. She nudged him gently. "Wake up, Andrew."

He turned and slowly sat up. "Hey, JJ." He mumbled, yawning.

"Hey, kiddo. It's dance day and you slept in until…3 P.M. Go shower." She demanded softly.

He nodded, still half asleep. "Sure thing, Jayje." He whispered, before heading up down the hall.

JJ and Spence cleaned and talked as they waited for Andrew to finish showering. He came down the stairs an hour later, his hair wet. He was wearing black dress pants and a white button up. He had a black tie in his hand. JJ smiled.

"You look adorable." She announced, walking towards him.

Andrew ran a hand through his hair. "You sure? I feel…awkward."

"Well, you don't look it." Reid said, helping tie his tie.

"Are you sure I don't look overdressed?" He asked, nervously.

"I don't think so, but then again this is a kid's dance." She reached out an unbuttoned the top two buttons and rolled up his sleeves. She then loosened his tie and messed up his hair a bit. He was right, the casual look suited him better.

He looked in the mirror, satisfied. "Better."

**Thanks for reading! Review, please! :] (If you can!)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Yeah, I'm not exactly sure why I'm posting two chapters…oh well. Have fun! :)**

At the Morgan household, Bella had both Emily and Penelope crowded around her, fussing with everything from her dress to her boot to her hair. Derek and Hotch decided they were to steer clear of anything and everything girly, so they sat in the living room, chatting. After an hour and a half, Penelope emerged from Bella's room.

"Okay. She's ready." She squealed, pointed down the hall.

Bella slowly made her way into the living room, trying her very best not to stumble with her obnoxious boot. She finally made and the two men got the full effect of her appearance. She was wearing a deep teal dress that hit just above her knee and one black heel that elevated her the exact same amount as her boot, so she walked without a limp. She hair was in a low side ponytail and curled to perfection and her face was radiant, as usual.

"Wow." Hotch said. "Andrew's a lucky boy."

Morgan smiled. "You got that right. You look beautiful, baby."

Bella blushed. "Are you sure? I mean, the boot…?"

Emily laughed. "Oh trust me. No boy is going to be noticing your boot…"

Morgan eyes hardened. Penelope immediately noticed.

"Um, because they'll be noticing your wonderful personality." She attempted.

Morgan grunted. "Psh. If any boy notices your "_wonderful personality" _too closely, Hotch and I will make sure he's in prison before he can even try to explain."

Hotch nodded. "It's true. If we hear anything about any guys trying to…"

Bella rolled her eyes and cut him off. "I'll be fine. I swear."

"We know, Bells. We're just kidding." Morgan said. Hotch agreed, but both men knew it was a total lie.

-:-

Spencer and JJ drove Andrew to Bella's house where the kids where forced to take about a million pictures, until finally they begged to leave. With final goodbyes and plans to all meet back here afterwards, Emily and JJ hopped in the car and dropped them off (they figured having Morgan, Hotch, Garcia or Reid would just mean more lectures about safety and/or pictures).

The dance was sufficiently awkward, as most school dances were, but the two had fun. They hung out and danced (well, bobbed to a beat) with Bella's friends Sasha and Andrew's smart, curly haired friend Dex. Things were light and fun and the two even shared a couple, slightly stumble-y, slow dances, courtesy of Bella's boot. After a while, the four just sat around eating and talking. Overall, it was pretty fun and the two were a bit sad to leave. The dance ended and they headed out to the parking lot. They saw their familiar black SUV and slowly made their way towards it. The entered, expecting to be bombarded with questions, but instead were greeted by a upset looking Spencer. Upon asking what's wrong, he just shook his head and said "When we get home."

Bella and Andrew anxiously awaited their destination, wondering what the deal was. They arrived and quickly ran inside to find everyone, even Garcia, had that look on their face. That terrified, teary-eyed, empathetic look. And, it seemed to be directed at Andrew. But why?

Spencer wrapped an arm around Andrew's shoulder and led him to the couch. Bella sat down next to him, noticing Andrew was pale.

"Guys, what's the deal?" Bella asked. No one answered.

Andrew took a breath. He knew those looks. Those were the looks people gave him when his dad died. "Did she…" He asked shakily, his voice cracking.

Spencer sighed. "Andrew…" He began. Andrew's eyes filled up with tears and he sprinted from the room.

Bella stood up and called after him, but he didn't stop. "What happened?" She demanded, frantically.

JJ, whose eyes were tearing up, answered. "His mom died."

"What?" Bella whispered. Now that she thought about it…she had no idea why Andrew was living with Spencer. She knew there was something wrong with his mom, he'd told her about how Justin made for of that, but she knew nothing more. She just assumed he was….she didn't even know.

JJ continued. "She…She was in a coma, that's why he's with Spence. But today she…um…passed on. And his dad died when he was one. He has no family." She explained, tears spilling from her eyes.

Bella's eyes filled up. She knew what that felt like…having no parents. "I didn't even know…" She mumbled, upset she wasn't there to support Andrew, as he did for her. Morgan hugged her, but for the first time, she pushed him off.

"Bella, it's okay. No one told you." He said, shocked that she pulled away from him.

"No, it's not. He's there for me, for everything. And I…" She trailed off. "I'm such a jerk! How could I not…I need to help him. What do I say?"

"Just let him know you're there for him." Hotch said softly.

And before anyone could try to stop her, she ran (well, hobbled) down the hall after him. She figured he was in her room. She put her ear to her door. She heard quiet sniffling. She knocked softly, then, getting no response, she let herself in. He was lying on her bed, his back facing her. She went around and sat on the other edge of the bed. He ignored her.

_Just let him know you're there for him. _"Um," She began, unsure of what she was going to say. "I'm sorry. I know, you probably hear that a lot, but I really am sorry. I've been where you are. Because, I don't know if you know this, but um, I also lost my dad when I was young. He left us. And that's okay, I guess. Some guys are just douches. I was fine because I had my mom." Her voice cracked lightly. "She was my everything. But she was sick. Cancer. I was scared, but she was a fighter and beat it. And whenever it came back, she'd fight and fight and until it'd leave again. She always said it was just for me. She always said she'd fight, so I'd never be alone. Then, eight months ago, she got tired of fighting…and she lost. And I know it's selfish, but I was mad for her dying. How could she leave me? With no warning…no preparation…But, then again, nothing ever prepares you for losing your only parent. Nothing prepares you for feeling that alone. There's people all around you, hugging and feeding you, but you know you're alone." She laid down on her bed, placing her head next to his. "And that feeling, I wouldn't wish on anybody, especially not someone as genuine as you. So, just know, you're not alone. I'm here. And Spencer and Jayje and Morgan and Hotch and Rossi and Pen and Emily. We're all here. And we won't let anything happen." She was full on sobbing now. "So, don't think for one second you're alone. Okay?"

Then, Andrew lifted his head. His eyes were red and puffy. "Okay." He whispered.

At that, Bella wrapped her arms around him and just let him sob. She cried, too. They cried together until they had no more tears left, and then they cried some more. Eventually, they fell asleep. The whole team had stayed in the living room, talking, planning, and even crying a bit. They kept waiting for the duo to emerge. But they didn't. So, when it began to get really late, they decided to check on them. They all walked down to Bella's room and slowly knocked, then opened the door. Inside was the two of them, still all dressed up, but now tear-streaked, lying fast asleep on her bed. It must've looked pretty odd, two overdressed children all teary eyed, yet asleep, but to the team it was pretty comforting. He wasn't alone. He had Bella.

**Thanks for reading! :) Oh, and just something exciting. My boot (for my shattered knee) has been spray painted blue…pretty cool, right? I thought so, too! Review, por favor!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys! I got a TON of alerts recently. So thank you :]**

"Hey, it's about time to go." Spencer told Andrew. The teen nodded silently.

"Goodbye, Ms. Reid. It's great to see you." He said politely to Spencer's mother.

She wrapped arms around him. "You, too. And again, I'm so sorry."

Andrew just smiled lightly and nodded. Spencer sighed. Andrew had been nodding a lot lately. It worried him.

"I'll meet you in the hall." Spencer told Andrew, who…nodded and left the room without a word. "We've got to get him to the Center."

"Poor boy…" Spencer's mom whispered. "Are you sure you want to do this Spencer? Can you take care of a young boy?" She inquired, worried.

"Yes, mother. I've taken care of him this long. I am not putting him in the system at a time like this. An adolescent abandoned by both parents is fragile. I'm going to give him the choice, but I want him to stay with me." Spencer stated, completely confident.

His mother placed a weak hand on his cheek. "As long as you're sure Spencer."

"I am." His mother nodded. "I've got to go, but I'll call you when he decides."

Spencer met Andrew in the hall. They signed out of his mother's clinic and made their way to the car. Spencer took off towards the Las Vegas Adoption Center. He watched Andrew through the rearview mirror. The young boy looked pale and just empty. It had been a difficult couple of days. The two had taken a trip to Vegas the day after the getting the news. Yesterday, there had been a small, private burial with just Andrew, Spencer and a few close people from Andrew's past. It was rough, but Spencer tried his best to help Andrew cope. Today, they took a trip to see Spencer's mother and were now headed off to figure out what was going to happen to Andrew. Andrew had been mostly mute throughout the entire trip and preferred to only speak when necessary. Spencer was all right with that, he understood that it could take Andrew some time to come around. Andrew assumed he was going to be put into the foster care, despite Bella's constant promises that he would be okay. The way he said goodbye to her and the team told Spencer that Andrew thought he wasn't returning to Virginia. Spencer had decided to offer to adopt Andrew, he hadn't asked him yet. He was trying to wait for the right time. He felt bad not telling Andrew yet, but Spencer wasn't sure how to tell him. He was running out of time now though, so he'd just have to tell him at the Center.

They arrived and Spencer led Andrew to the building. They walked up to the front desk. After Spencer talked with the lady behind the desk for a while, she picked up the phone and whispered into it. Then, she gestured for Andrew and Spencer to head around to the back area, where they met a baby-faced brunette whose name was apparently "Greta".

She ushered them into a small room. "Hello, Andrew. ."

"Spencer." He corrected, blushing. Greta nodded and turned to Andrew.

"First off, I'm terribly sorry for your loss." Andrew just nodded. "Let's discuss options. With your situation, you can go into the foster care system, we have a family who is interested. They're very nice and have some other kids your age. We could have your things shipped and have you settled there in no time. But I also understand Spencer over here would like you to consider allowing him to adopt you. Typically, we pick which ever option is best for the child, but you're older, so we'll let you decide."

Andrew looked up. "What? Spence? You…" He whispered, shocked.

Spencer smiled awkwardly. That wasn't how he wanted to let tell him.

Greta gaped. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was under the impression Andrew knew…"

Spencer shook his head. "I hadn't found a good time…"

Greta stood. "I'll give you two a minute then. Again, I apologize." She said, slipping out the door.

"You want to adopt me?" Andrew asked.

Spencer looked down. "Well, I thought I'd offer, because really I enjoy having you around. You're a great kid and um, you living with me had been cool. I was trying to find the right time to ask, but on the plane just, uh, didn't seem right and I never really found the right time after that…I hope you consider it, though. I like having you around and um, I think I already said that…but…um…"

Andrew cut him off. "Spence."

"Yes?"

Andrew smiled softly for the first time in days. "I'd…um, really like that, too."

"You would?" Spencer asked, excitedly. Andrew nodded. "Then, congrats…you're now a 'Reid'."

Andrew laughed, seeing the giddy grin occupying his new guardian's face. "I'm proud."

Spencer jumped up and let Greta back in, sharing the news and preparing to sign as many papers as needed.

-:-

Derek walked around his house aimlessly, not sure what to do with himself. He hadn't realized how much time taking care of a teenager took, until he had the time back. Finally, he whipped out his cell phone and dialed the number of the least-boring person he knew.

"Hello, my love." Penelope Garcia answered cheerily. "What can I do for you today?"

"Anything." Derek replied simply. "I'm desperately alone and I'm looking for a tech-honey to provide me with her lovely company. Know anyone?"

"Hmmm…" Penelope teased. "I may have just what you need. Meet at 'It's a Grind' in ten? Then we can go for a walk."

"See you there, baby girl." Derek confirmed, hanging up and grabbing his coat.

-:-

Exactly ten minutes later, Penelope walked into her and Derek's favorite coffee shop. She easily spotted Derek, as he was walking towards her, two coffees in tow. He handed her one.

"Half-caf, extra shot, venti, two pump, non-fat, hold the whip, caramel macchiato for the lady." He announced proudly, holding it out for her.

Garcia took it and smiled. "Oh, you know me so well."

"You know it, sweetheart." He replied, holding open the door for her.

"Hey," Garcia began, as they walked down the street. "Speaking of sweethearts, where is your sweet little niece? Something tells me you couldn't be 'desperately alone' with that one around. With a shattered knee-cap and ability to out-charm you, I could imagine you'd be very busy."

"Oh, she's determined to go on with life as if she never fell. She pretends like she perfectly fine, running around like her usual self. She's with Jayje for the day. They're bonding and waiting for Reid to get home." He explained.

Penelope laughed. "Pretending like there's no injury? Sounds like Prentiss. And when are my two genius boys getting home?"

"Well, Reid is for sure coming home at five tonight, but we're not sure if Andrew will be coming back, remember? I'm not even sure if Reid's asked yet…He's supposed to call and let us know when he does."

"Do you really think Andrew would say no…?" Penelope asked, slightly worried.

"Well, no, but Bella thinks otherwise…she's beside herself with worry."

Penelope sighed. "I can imagine…her best friend. I don't know what I'd do without mine." She said, nudging Morgan lightly.

"Well, fortunately for you, sweet pea, you'll never have to find out." Morgan replied, throwing an arm around her shoulders and kissing her forehead.

-:-

Hours later, JJ and Bella sat on JJ's couch, absorbed in 'The Notebook', which was playing on the T.V. In the middle of a big Leonardo scene, JJ's phone rang.

Bella groaned. JJ laughed. "I know, this phone has the worst timing." She said, flipping open her cell. "Hey Spence."

Bella immediately leaned forwards JJ, hoping to catch a whiff of the conversation. All she got was mumbling from Spencer and a few 'Uh-huh's and 'Okay's from JJ.

"Okay. See you." JJ finally said, flipping the phone shut.

"So?" Bella asked anxiously, 'The Notebook' completely forgotten.

JJ took a deep breath, milking the suspense a little. "He's coming back." She announced after a few seconds.

Bella smiled and bounced up and down on the couch. "I get my dork back!"

JJ chuckled, but couldn't help but tease the young girl a little. "_Your_ dork?"

Bella froze, flushing pink. "I mean, the communal dork returns?"

"Uh-huh." JJ said, smirking. "Seems like you missed him quite a lot."

Bella shrugged. "Well, yeah. He's my best friend."

JJ raised an eyebrow. "Nothing more?"

Bella groaned again. "Jayje, did my uncle put you up to this?"

"No! I'm just wondering. You guys just seem to get along quite well. Always hanging out, going to the dance, really protective of each other…and I've seen the way he looks at you."

"Jayje, I swear, it's nothing. Just my friend. Friiiieeennnndssss, understand? The real mystery is you and Spence. Are you guys even dating?"

Just then, there was a knock on the door. JJ shot Bella a confused look and headed to answer it. She opened the door and there was Spencer and Andrew looking exhausted, but really pleased. Bella hopped up from the couch.

"Andrew!" She said, throwing her arms around him. He smiled, hugging her back.

JJ laughed, giving Spencer a quick hug. "You said you were boarding the plane like 10 minutes ago."

Spencer feigned shock. "Oh, I mean to say we were down the street!" JJ punched his shoulder, lightly. "Surprise!"

JJ then turned to Andrew. "Hey, little man." She said, causing Andrew to smile at the use of his goofy nickname. "How does it feel to be a Reid?"

Truthfully, he still felt pretty alone and empty, but knowing he was _really_ a part of the Reid family had made him feel more secure. He wasn't happy exactly or really sad either. He sighed, deciding on the right choice of words. "It feels…it feels like I'm no longer lost. Like, everything will be okay." He finally announced, wrapping an arm around Spencer.

**Reid and review, please! Your thoughts inspire me to write more. Oh, and for those with the review issues, I'm working on it. **


	14. Chapter 14

**This is really short! Thanks for the reviews, PMs and the alerts! It means a lot!**

"Hey, sweetheart. I've got to stop by the BAU for a couple of hours then we can head off to your appointment. That okay? Will you be able to find something to do there for a little bit?" Morgan asked his niece as they prepared to leave the house.

Bella waved her copy of Jane Eyre at him then dropped it into her bag. "Oh, yeah. It's cool. I've got summer reading. Boring, but you know, it's got to be done." 

"That's exactly how I feel about this paperwork I've got to do." Morgan chuckled.

-:-

_This is weird…_ Bella thought to herself as she walked into the almost completely empty bullpen. All the desks were unoccupied and only a few upstairs offices had light's shining underneath the doors. Even the lights seemed dimmer.

"Okay, I'm going to get started. I'll try to make it quick, all right?" Morgan said, plopping down at his desk.

Bella nodded and sat down in Emily's abandoned desk. After taking a few minutes to get all settled in a comfortable position, with her boot and all, she took out the thick book. Sighing, she cracked the spine. Sure, she was a pretty fast reader, but still. The book was over 500 pages of tiny writing. However, after an hour or so, she was so consumed in the book, she didn't even hear her uncle call her name.

"Bells." He said softly, for the third time. She looked up. "Hey, would you mind taking this up to Rossi? I think he's in his office." He asked. His eyes drifted to her boot. "Wait, never mind. I'll do it, I don't want to make you get up."

Bella stopped him. "No!" She exclaimed, a bit too eagerly. "Anything to get away from this book." She pushed herself up and snatched the file from her uncle's fingers.

He laughed and shook his head as she limped up the stairs, her heavy boot making a loud **THUNK** with each step she took. She paused outside Rossi's office, knocking lightly. 

"Come in." She heard him say. She let herself in and walked up to his desk. "Hello Isabella. What brings you here?"

Bella held back a giggle. Dave was the only person who made her first name sound cool. She loved the way he said it. "Oh, nothing. Derek's got me locked up here while he's finishing some paperwork. Then, I have a follow up appointment for my knee."

Rossi pretended to cringe. "How's that been feeling?"

Bella shrugged. "You know, not great. Not terrible. It's the heavy boot that really bugs me. What are you up to?"

Rossi smiled lightly. "I just finished up the last of my paperwork and was checking my email. An old pal sent me a 'story with holes' thing. Want to help me solve a few?" He asked. "I wouldn't mind the company."

"Sure. I wouldn't mind taking a break from my ever-exciting summer reading. Plus, I don't mean to brag, but I'm a master at stories with holes."

Rossi laughed and began reading the first brain puzzle. Rossi, being a FBI profiler, managed to get the answers to the puzzles quite simply, but there were one or two where Bella beat him to the solution.

"You know, you're quite bright for your age." Rossi complimented after Bella solved a rather difficult one with ease.

Bella flushed. "Thanks, that means a lot coming from you."

"From me?" Rossi asked, not sure what she meant.

Bella placed a hand on her hip. "Oh, come on. You are one of the most intelligent people in the US."

Rossi was shocked, not many _teenagers_ acknowledged his work. "Well, thank you. But, most intelligent in the US? That's a bit much."

"No. Not at all. You're a legend. Don't tell Derek this, but I've read your books. They're fantastic. And I've watched as many lectures as possible."

Rossi nodded. "Wow. I'm impressed, but you are a bit young to be reading that stuff, don't you think? And how did you watch my…"

Bella cut him off. "YouTube."

"Thank you. I'm flattered." He said.

"Oh, you should be. It's so intriguing. How the mind works. I love reading about it. I'd rather read your books 20 times than have to read my summer reading book for school." She complained, sitting down in the chair across from his desk.

Rossi smirked. "What book?"

"Jane Eyre." Bella replied, sticking her tongue.

"I've read it." Rossi said.

"You have? Isn't it a bit…girly?" She asked, giggling.

"Well, yes, but I also had summer reading as a kid. It was required."

"You did?" She questioned.

Rossi smiled. "Yes, I'm not from prehistoric times, Isabella. You know what else we had to read?"

"What?"

"Romeo and Juliet. Have you read it?"

"Of course. I actually was surprised. I hated certain aspects of it, but didn't hate the whole thing overall." She replied.

"What didn't you like?" 

The two continued to chat about books and such until there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Rossi called.

Morgan popped his head in. "Hey, Bells. Time to head out."

"You all done with your work?" She asked, standing up.

"No, actually. But you can't miss your appointment, so I'll come back another day."

"Oh, okay." She said. "Bye, Dave!"

"Bye." Rossi called back.

"Hey, Bells. I'll meet you in the car, okay?" Her uncle told her.

She nodded and left.

"Thanks for keeping her company." Morgan told Rossi.

"It was no trouble." Rossi replied. "I actually had a great time. You've got a smart one there. She's going places."

Morgan smiled. "Don't I know it. See you." He began to close the door.

"Wait!" Rossi called, getting an idea.

-:-

3 minutes later, Bella was surprised to see Rossi emerge from the BAU building holding the car keys, instead of her uncle.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Well, your uncle wasn't done with his work. However, I am, I enjoyed your company and I'm not busy. So, I'm taking you to your appointment."

Bella smirked. "Really?"

"Yes. Now let's go. We don't want to be late." Rossi replied, opening the car door.

-:-

The first part of the appointment was easy. Bella just answered questions about her knee and did some simple tasks like walking in a straight line while Dave sat watching. But then came the part where they had to check and see if the bone was healing correctly. They removed her cast and revealed her knee while was swollen and bruised. Another doctor came in and they began to poke and prod at the knee, examining it and occasionally asking if it hurt when they touched certain parts. It was beyond painful. At first, Bella could handle it, but when they took the gauze off the area where the skin was cut, tears began to gather in her brown eyes. Taking notice, one of the doctors paused.

He looked at Rossi. "You can hold her hand at this part if you…" He hinted.

"No!" Bella squeaked, wanted to avoid any embarrassment and awkwardness. "It's all right."

Rossi cleared his throat and stood. "No." He walked around her and grabbed her left hand in his. "I've got you, Isabella."

Bella nodded and the doctor got back to work. Things must've gotten worse, because soon Bella squeezed her eyes shut and clenched Rossi's hand with so much pressure that it began to hurt. Dave wouldn't let go though. Instead, he wrapped his right arm around her shoulders and patted her forearm, attempting to calm her down. She pressed her face into his chest. After a few minutes, the doctors finished. They cleaned, dressed and re-booted her knee. After confirming her knee was healing correctly and giving Bella some painkillers, they were allowed to leave. Bella was more than ready to get out of the hospital. Rossi quickly signed her out of the hospital and the two made their way silently to the car.

"Thanks." Bella said softly, strapping in.

Rossi started the car. "It was no big deal. I had a few free hours anyways."

Bella looked at Rossi, her face completely serious for once. "No, really. Thanks for everything. It means a lot."

Rossi smiled ever so slightly. "Anytime, kiddo."

**I figured Rossi and Bella should have a little bonding time. :] What did you think? I might post more tonight, as I'm bored and looking for a way to avoid doing my summer reading project… Read and review, please!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Here it is! :] Enjoy and review, please.**

"Hey baby." Garcia greeted Andrew as he walked into her tiny office holding his duffle bag. "You ready for a night of Penelope-fun while Jayje and Spence go do…whatever they do when they 'hang out'?"

He nodded. "Aren't I always?"

Garcia laughed and Andrew smiled, but Penelope couldn't help but notice that the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Everything okay, baby G-man?" She asked, spinning in her chair to face him.

He placed his bag down. "Uh, yeah."

She shrugged. "How you holding up?"

"I'm fine." He stated simply.

Garcia nodded uncertainly and shut off her computers, preparing to go.

-:-

The car ride was silent, something very rare for any Andrew-Garcia occasion. Both of them liked computers and so whenever they were together, they couldn't help but blab about their latest tech discoveries to someone who understood. Penelope finally decided she needed the truth and pulled over to the side of the road.

"Why are we…?" Andrew began.

"Just listen." Penelope said, cutting him off. "Baby boy, I've been where you are. Both parents gone. I know, it's terrible. Granted, I was older when it happened, so at least I could take care of myself. I can't even begin to fathom how awful it must be for you. But you need to understand, all of us have lost somebody in someway or another. Bella lost her parents. Morgan lost his dad. JJ's sister. Emily's dad and her best friend. Even you're friend Dex lost his little brother when he was five. Now, we may not know exactly how you're feeling, but we can all relate. So, it's okay not to be 'fine' every once in a while. Just tell us. Holding things in isn't good. Okay, sweetie?"

Andrew nodded. "Okay."

"So, how 'bout we go get some food and chat? Not necessarily about…that, but about anything. It's been a while since we've just chatted." Penelope offered.

"I'd like that." Andrew said, and Penelope began to restart the car. He stopped her. "But, wait. I've got to know. How exactly did you know about Dex's brother?"

Penelope flushed. "Um, the lovely Derek and his skinny Boy Genius might've been a little overprotective and made me do background checks on the kids you and Bella hang out with…For the record, I was simply a innocent bystander who got sucked into the dark side due to her amazing tech skills and inability to say no to those guys."

Andrew just shook his head. "I can't say I'm surprised."

-:-

"So, Spence, what do you want to do now?" JJ asked as the two exited their favorite little Italian restaurant.

"Well, I had, um, one idea. But it's dumb…" He said nervously.

JJ stopped walking and looked up at him. "What is it?"

"There…there's an observatory. It's pretty cool at night. I thought maybe…maybe you'd want to check it out?" He stuttered, making it sound more like a question.

JJ laughed. He was too adorable sometimes. "Sure, Spence."

His face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really?"

"Yes."

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the big dome shaped building. Spencer led JJ to the door.

She looked at it dark building uncertainly. "Is it even opened right now?"

Spencer smiled. "Doesn't matter, I have a key." He said, holding up his key ring.

"How…?"

He shrugged. "I visit this place a lot."

"I bet."

Spencer quickly unlocked the door and led JJ inside the dark room. He maneuvered his way around like a pro and easily switched in a light, filling the huge room with a dim light.

"Wow." JJ said, taking everything in. The room was huge. It had things all over; telescopes, sky maps pinned to the walls and even some gadgets she didn't recognize. "This is brilliant."

Spencer beamed like a proud parent. "I know."

He spent the next half an hour showing JJ around. He taught her how some gadgets worked, explained how some constellations came to be and JJ surprised him by being pretty knowledgeable about astrology.

"My mom loved anything about space and stars." She explained when he shot her a shocked look after she blurted the name of a constellation he couldn't remember. "I picked up it up from her. I guess you could call us space-nuts."

Spencer looked at her in awe. "Well, you could call me a space-nut, too. I'm impressed."

She just blushed and shrugged, looking away.

Hours passed. JJ and Spencer were so absorbed in their star gazing, they barely noticed.

"And…perfect." Spencer said adjusting the telescope for her. "Now look."

She peeked in the lens and gasped. "Beautiful."

Spencer couldn't help it. "Yes. You are." He blurted.

JJ pulled back from the lens and looked at him.

"I'm…I'm sorry." He muttered, bright red covering his cheeks.

"It's okay." She muttered back, lowering her head to hide the grin that was spreading across her face.

Spencer kept going, determined not to screw things up. "But not sorry, as in it's not true. 'Cause you are beautiful. That sounds creepy. Oh, I'm sorry, it's just, I…like you and I'm nervous and, um…" He rambled, unable to find just the right words.

However, JJ's heart swelled, the words 'I like you' echoing in her head. Without even thinking twice, she grabbed his shoulders and stood on her tiptoes, pressing her lips to his.

That sure shut him up.

He responded immediately, his long arms snaking around her waist and pulling her closer. Her fingers intertwined in his hair. She slowly guided him backwards, trying to get him to a wall or something, when he accidentally tripped over a cord. He fell back, pulling JJ down with him.

"Real smooth, Reid." He groaned, rubbing the back on his head, which banged into the wall. He sat up and leaned against the wall. "You okay, Jayje?"

"Hmm, I think I'm more than okay." She said, straightening up and sitting next to him.

"Me too." He said, pulling her close.

They sat there, quietly for a while, just soaking in the fact that they had kissed. Finally. After a few minutes, Spencer began to chuckle softly.

JJ pulled back and looked at him. "Are you…laughing?" She asked, amused.

He nodded. "It's just…I just kissed the girl of my dreams. It's easily one of the best moments of my life. I'm pretty happy."

JJ blushed. "Aw, Spence…"

"No, really."

"Well," She said, leaning back onto him again. "This also made my top five favorite moments."

"What's your number one?" He asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"Watching you try to use chopsticks." She joked, laughing.

He pretended to be upset, but seeing her laugh got the best of him and he reached forward and pulled her into another kiss.

-:-

"Do want me to get you anything? Painkillers, food?" Derek asked Bella.

"Derek, I'm fully capable for doing that by myself." Bella assured.

"Are you sure? Because it's no trouble." He continued, oblivious.

"Derek." She said.

"I could just run out and get you something. It's not an issue." He said, pulling out his car keys. 

"DEREK!" She yelled.

"What? What's wrong?" He asked, alarmed. He had missed Bella's knee appointment yesterday and when Dave dropped her home crying, the guilt was overwhelming. He immediately went on overprotective-mode, constantly grilling her about whether or not she was okay, or if she needed anything. As sweet as it was, she could only take so much.

"I'm just fine." She said smiling.

Morgan sighed, sitting on the couch next to her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, completely. And yeah, yesterday's appointment was beyond painful, but Dave had my back. It's alright that you weren't there. I'm a big girl. I can do some things without you." She replied.

"I don't like it when you say that, sweetheart." He admitted. She shot a questioning look in his direction. "You're my baby. The last thing I want to do is have you grow up and leave your uncle all alone."

She scoffed. " I'm not going anywhere. But trust me, even when I do go off one day, you won't be alone." Now it was his turn to give the questioning look. "You'll have Penelope." She added, smirking.

His eyes widened. "Hey, where did that come from?"

"No where. Everyone, even Reid, sees it. You two just seem to be oblivious."

"I don't know. I don't think she…sees me like that." He said.

"Oh, she does. And you better hurry and snatch her up before she gets tired of waiting and finds some other dude. Quit avoiding it and just make out with her already, okay?"

Morgan sighed. "Maybe you're right."

Bella shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised, it happens frequently." She stated, earning herself a punch in the shoulder.

"Hey, how do you even know what making out is, little miss?" Morgan asked.

She rolled her eyes. "I've had loads of experience." She said casually. Seeing the look on her uncle's face, she added, "Kidding."

"Yeah, you better be. Or soon the team will be trying to track me down and lock me up for the murder of some fifteen-year-old males." He growled.

"Oh, no. I'm more for the older guys. You know, seniors." She said, getting another panicked look. "Gosh, can you not hear the sarcasm?"

He shook his head. "Forgive me for not wanting my niece to get pregnant."

She laughed. "You can't get pregnant from making out."

"Oh, I know. It's what comes after that worries me." He said.

"What comes after?" She asked, feigning innocence. Morgan just stared. "Wow. You really don't understand the concept of 'jokes', do you?" She said.

"I do, it just caught me off-guard." He said.

"Well, you don't need to worry. I know all about what comes after making out. You could probably call me an expert, actually." She teased, once again.

Morgan's eyes bulged out of his head. Bella laughed. "Okay, okay. I'm done with the kidding. I don't want you to get a heart attack."

"You are killing me, kiddo." He said, exasperated.

She smiled. "Then, I'm doing my job."

"Just…just promise me you'll be smart. And safe. With everything. High school can have bad influences and I don't want you to get sucked into that, okay?"

"Yes, dad." She said sarcastically.

Morgan froze. "Dad?" 

She turned pink. "I was, um, I was being sarcastic…"

Morgan nodded. "Oh, okay."

They both sat there silently for a minute, before Morgan spoke.

"You can, um, call me that though. If you want. I mean, if you're okay with it." He stuttered.

Bella cracked the tiniest smile. "I might like that. Maybe."

Morgan grinned, glad she was even considering it. He wanted Bella to feel like she had at least one parent. "Really?"

She nodded and planted a little kiss on his cheek. "Yeah."

**Hey. What did you think? Let me know. And also, if there's anything you want to see in the future of this story, tell me. :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Read away! :]**

The next morning, Reid walked into the BAU, leading Andrew and Isabella in behind him.

"You kids hang out in here. We have a case, so you'll be here with Garcia today then you'll be at her house for then night. I've got to meet with the team, okay?" Reid said as they arrived at the kitchen area.

"Can we come?" Isabella asked eagerly, dropping her bag on a chair.

"No." Morgan answered, walking in the room and refilling his coffee cup. "You know the rules. You two hang out here." He explained, before exiting, motioning for Reid to follow. Reid looked at them and shrugged before following Derek.

"Aw, come on! We should go eavesdrop." Bella exclaimed angrily, turning to Andrew.

"Maybe we should listen to them…" He said nervously.

"You're such a dork!" Isabella laughed. "We're not going to let them stop us." She concluded, determined.

"Us?" Andrew gulped. "I don't want to get in trouble…"

He was cut off by Bella, who grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room.

-:-

"This guy stole two kids, cousins Amy and Blake Barker, a week ago as they were walking home from school in Richmond. The parents got worried when they didn't get home from school. Then, he _called _the family and blamed the kids. He said it was their fault for being taken. He then told them to check their computer in a few hours. He streamed video live of the kids being tortured. Then he killed them. Found them two days later in an empty alley." Agent Jareau started, passing out the files for the team to look at. "This morning, two more teens from Richmond, siblings this time. James and Marissa Bendel. They were skipping class and now are missing."

"How do we know it's the same guy?" Rossi asked.

"The parents got the same call and are now waiting for the video." She responded.

-:-

"Man, I can't hear a thing!" Bella complained, her ear pressed against the conference room door. "No wonder they heard wrong when you asked me to the dance!"

"Bella, we should stop. This is bad." Andrew said cautiously.

"Oh, man up!" She scolded, straining to hear.

-:-

"He streams video? Couldn't you just identify him from there?" Reid asked, flipping through the file.

"Well, you can't see his face in the video. He wears a red jacket with the hood up." JJ answered.

"Can you trace the video?" Morgan asked.

"Nope. No one there has been able to, but they don't have Garcia." JJ said.

"Autopsy reports show he's been injecting them with diazepam to make them blackout." JJ added, showing the video of the pervious murder on the screen.

"He's got them taped up…but now, what's he doing?" Hotch asked.

"Branding them…" JJ replied, disgust lacing her voice.

"What of?"

"The infinity sign." JJ explained, clicking through pictures of letter burned onto the wrists of the victims. "We aren't sure of the relevance of that. He then keeps them for a while, just talking for them, seemingly teasing them, telling them it's their fault over and over. After that, he took them off the chairs and made them kneel on broken glass. He beat them while they were kneeling and threatened to kill them. He continued until they begged to be killed. Then, he kills them." JJ finished.

"Okay, tell Garcia she's coming. We need to try and find the video source when the video's streamed. Wheels up in thirty." Hotch stood up, then saw Reid, who was staring blankly at the paused video on the screen. "You okay?"

Reid blinked. "Um. Yeah. If Garcia's coming, then I guess the kids are, too."

Hotch simply nodded.

"I'll go tell them." Morgan said, standing up and heading for the door.

He opened the door and Isabella and Andrew both slammed into him, falling to the floor in a heap.

"What the-Where you guys listening?" Morgan asked, looking frustrated.

"Andrew?" Reid yelled, standing up.

"Umm, Bella made me!" Andrew squeaked.

Bella shot him a look, standing up. "Way to stick together, Dork."

Andrew pointed a finger at her. "Hey, I'm not a dork!"

"Either way," Morgan yelled. "You two shouldn't be listening."

"Why not?" Isabella argued, staring him down. Derek stared back, the whole team, plus Andrew, watching. Finally Bella retreated.

"Fine, we're sorry." Bella apologized, looking at the floor. She looked up at the team, her eyes wide. "We won't do it again."

"It's alright, Isabella. Just listen next time." Hotch said, sternly.

"Now, go gab your bags. You two and Garcia are coming. Hurry, I'll explain on the plane." Morgan demanded.

"Really?" Bella asked, hopefully.

"Yes." Her uncle said, still cross that they had disobeyed him. "But don't get your hopes up, little missy. You won't be getting to work the case. You and Junior Boy Wonder will be hanging out in the hotel."

Bella sighed. "Understandable." Then the two kids hurried down the hall, Bella scolding Andrew on ratting her out.

-:-

An hour and a half later, Morgan walked into the latest victim's family's house.

"Hey. Got Andrew and Bells all set up?" Reid greeted.

Morgan nodded. "Yes. Do you think they'll be okay? Stuck in that room all day?"

"Yes, they'll be fine. I mean, it's two teenagers in a hotel room, alone, all day. What's the worst that could happen? Boredom?" Reid said, not really realizing possibilities.

"Or pregnancy." Emily added, shrugging.

"What?" Morgan yelled, his mind flashing back to his conversation with Bella.

JJ shot Emily a look. "No way. This is Andrew and Bella we're talking about. They never stop fighting for long enough to even think about…that." She reassured Morgan.

"Well, maybe it's to conceal the true feelings they have for one another. You see it all the time in teenagers. Teen couples fight or banter to show affection as most adolescents are insecure and have difficulty showing real emotions." Reid explained.

"Yeah, and I've always thought they had a thing for each other. I mean, the way they-" Emily stopped mid-sentence when she saw Morgan's expression of terror and the look of death JJ was giving her. "Erm, I mean, I'm sure they just like each other as friends."

JJ, of course, came to the rescue once again. "Listen, they'll be fine. I doubt they like each other and even if they do, they're smart kids. They won't do anything reckless, okay? Now, you have to focus on this case."

Morgan nodded and they walked over to where everyone and the victim's father, Jim, were gathered around the computer as the video was streamed about an hour before. The victim's mother, Mary, was upstairs. She took one look at the screen and saw her two kids strapped to chairs, knocked out. She immediately broke down. "My babies." She cried over and over, before running up to her room, claiming to need to be alone. The kids on the video were awake now. They had been branded (a disgusting, upsetting thing to watch) and were now kneeling on the glass, crying. The UnSub stood in front of the girl, bellowing at her to stop her whining. She didn't, so he slapped her hard across the face, causing everyone to cringe.

Jim looked at Hotch, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Please help them."

Hotch nodded. "Garcia, how's it coming?"

Penelope groaned for the millionth time that evening.

"What happened?" The father asked.

"This guy is good. He's got tons, probably hundreds, of virtual walls put up. Like, these are the most advanced encryptions ever. Don't get me wrong, I can crack it, it just may take a while."

On the video, the UnSub something drew his attention back to the camera. He walked back around to the other side. They heard him mumble, then heard rapid typing.

Penelope mumbled inaudibly as tons of pop-ups appeared on the screen. "Damn."

"What? What is it?" Rossi asked.

"He…he just put up a bunch of new protection." She stuttered, shocked. "I have to get through them now, too. This may be harder than I thought."

"Keep working." Hotch commanded, stressed. He looked back at the stream. The UnSub was still off screen.

"Will do, sir."

The phone rang. The father went and checked the number. "It's blocked. Do you think it's him again?"

Hotch and the team gathered around. "I'm not sure. He didn't call twice last time…put it on speaker. Garcia, trace this call. Just in case."

"On it!" She confirmed.

"Okay, before you answer. Try to humanize James and Marissa. Thank him, even. And keep him on the line as long as possible." Hotch instructed.

"Thank him?" The father asked, exasperated.

"I know it's difficult to understand, but trust me." Hotch reassured.

He nodded grimly. Holding his breath, he answered. "Hello?"

"Are you watching?" A raspy voice asked. The voice could be heard faintly from the background from the video, also.

"Yes. Thank you for not hurting them." The father said shakily.

"I'm afraid you won't be thankful for long." The voice said.

"What? Why?" Mr. Bendel cried, breaking down. "What did they do?"

"The were bad kids. Skipping class. They did it all the time, you know. They deserve punishment."

"No, they don't! Please." The father started sobbing.

Hotch turned to Garcia. "Anything?" He whispered.

She sighed. "It's disposable, but he hasn't left town. He's still in Richmond."

"Please. I just want them back. Nothing more." The father pleaded, crying.

"I know the FBI is there." The voice asked, ignoring his pleads. "I figured you'd send for help once they couldn't trace me. I've done my research. Aaron, David, Emily, Spencer, Derek, Jennifer and of course, Penelope. How do you like my little goose chase, Penelope? It's no use. Not even you can crack me." Getting no response, he continued. "Are you shocked at my knowledge?"

"No." Morgan growled, unable to control himself. The father, looking frightened, handed him the phone.

"No? Well, I have more. Aaron, you've had a bit of a bad childhood. What made your dad so angry with you? Jennifer, your sister killed herself. Did she finally figure out how stupid she was and see the world was better without her? She's intelligent, you should follow her lead. And Spencer, the genius. It seems you're dad left you. Good choice. Even if you were smart, you were a reject child. David, three marriages and yet no kids. What? You afraid you'll pass on your defective genes? Penelope, you were a naughty teenager. Hacked your way right into the FBI. And Emily, you might just be the worst of all. Pregnant at…what? Fifteen? Sixteen? You slut. You're all messed up."

Everyone just stood there, unable to process what was going on. No one said a word.

"Still need more?" The voice taunted. There was frantic typing. "Spencer, you adopted some kid? Why? 'Cuz you feel bad? I bet he's just as screwed up as you. You too, Derek. Your niece. She's with you, right? Her dad left her before he even knew her. She must be terrible. And…both were involved in a fight at school? Sounds like they could use some discipline, in my opinion."

"Shut up." Spencer blurted, surprising the whole team.

"Watch yourself." The voiced teased. "Or I might just have to snag them next."

"Hey! You leave them alone." Morgan whispered forcefully.

"Or what? What will you do?" The voice asked, laughing.

"Listen, you sick bastard. You're nothing. You just sit around on your sorry ass killing kids because you can't do anything else with your life. You are pathetic." Morgan sneered.

"I can't do anything, huh? Watch me." The voice said darkly before hanging up.

Morgan groaned in frustration and slammed the phone onto the table. He rubbed his forehead, obviously stressed. "Damn."

"Garcia, how could he have known all that?" Emily asked.

"Oh, honey. If there's anything I've learned about this guy it that he's a computer whiz. Unfortunately, he could probably find anything he wanted on anybody." Penelope admitted sadly, staring at Derek worriedly.

"Do you think he would really hurt Bella and Andrew?" JJ asked, fear in her eyes.

Hotch sighed. "I honestly don't know."

Spencer was fuming. "Well, if this guy is good as he sounds, we need to get them protected."

"I'll do it." JJ said, whipping out her phone.

Hotch stopped her. "Wait. We can't tell them."

"Why?"

Morgan sighed. "He's right. This is Bella and Andrew. I have no doubt they'll try to be involved. Plus, they don't need to know much more than necessary about this."

"Well, we can't just leave them unprotected!" Spencer yelled, slightly angry.

"We'll just tell them it's just a precaution and we'll keep them in the hotel room. All doors, windows, and stairs monitored." Derek said, his voice shaking ever so slightly. "No one gets near that door."

JJ flipped open her phone. "I'm on it."

"What does this mean?" Jim asked quietly.

Rossi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "It means we underestimated this guy."

**What do you think? Review, please! (:**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys! :] So, tonight I had my first high school football game, which is a bigggg deal where I'm from. It was freakin' fantastic, even though I couldn't o much 'cuz of my knee. Either way, I just got home and I'm in a great mood, so I'm posting this little chapter, even though it's like 1:30 AM and no one will be up this late. Have a stellar day!**

Late that night, the Bendel children were murdered. The UnSub killed them. Right there, on the screen. Then, like magic, the screen had gone black, leaving two devastated parents whose pride and joy was murdered right in front of their faces, and a disturbed, frustrated and guilt-filled team in it's wake. The team stayed up until 4A.M., putting working the profile and trying to find any leads at all. Nothing. This guy had killed four children and they had nothing. They all returned to their respective rooms. Reid and Morgan went back to their suite they shared (so the teens could hang out together) and immediately decided to call it a night. Neither of them had actually rested though. Morgan had lay next to Bella, awake, feeling that he needed to protect her as some distubed psycho out there knew her name. Her age. Her school. He probably even knew where she was. The thought made him want to knock the life out of the guy. But he couldn't. So instead, he just sat there all night, praying that the UnSub never actually got within a five hundred foot radius of her.

Spencer sat with his back up against the couch that Andrew was sleeping on, hating his job. Typically, he didn't mind working for the BAU. It was hard, but it had a few rewarding moments. But, as usual, the silver lining always had a big dark cloud lurking around it. His job also brought knowledge. The knowing. He knew that there was a disturbed man out there, probably disposing the bodies of two innocent children. He knew that they weren't very close to catching this guy. He knew that there was a family out there, awake, just like him, knowing that their two kids -their worlds- were now lifeless heaps, just lying somewhere with some creep. He knew this guy was smart, smarter than anyone would like to admit. He knew that the man's next target were the kids who had both been through hell this year, yet still made him smile daily. And there was nothing, absolutely nothing, he could do about it.

-:-

"Okay, kiddos." Morgan started, while attempting to button up his navy dress shirt and eat a bagel at the same time. "Here's the deal. I have closed all the windows. I have alerted hotel staff not to allow anyone at all to call or visit this room. They won't let anyone on this floor who isn't in a room up here. As soon as we leave, you guys need to dead lock the door. No leaving this room. I know, it's boring, but you guys wanted to come."

"Do not do anything, anything at all, that could put you in any kind of danger. Got it?" Reid piped in.

"Umm, hey Andrew? Do I look stupid to you?" Bella said, standing up.

Andrew smiled and opened his mouth to respond, but Bella, realizing what his answer was going to be, cut him off.

"Actually, don't answer that. I'll do it for you. I'm not stupid and I'm capable of making sure that Dorkface and I don't leave the hotel and get killed today. We will be fine." She stated, giggling when she noticed Derek had buttoned his shirt wrong.

"Yes. I know, I know." He confessed, allowing Bella to step forward and re-button his shirt. "It's just…the thought of you, both of you, being in danger kills me inside. So be safe, baby girl. You, too _Dorkface_."

Bella finished re-buttoning his shirt and adjusted his collar. "Of course, we'll be super careful. Right, Andrew?" She confirmed, glancing back at Andrew, who was shoving his face full of waffles.

Andrew's head whipped up. "Whaa?" He asked with his mouth full, knocking his fork off the table. "Oops, I'll get it."

Morgan, Reid and Isabella laughed. "Come on, Morgan. We're going to be late." Reid added, pulling his satchel on and giving Andrew and Bella high-fives. "See you, guys. We mean it. Be safe."

"Okay." Morgan said. He gave Bella a kiss on the forehead. "See you, Bells. Bye Andrew. Take care of my girl, alright?"

"Always, Derek." Andrew said, saluting.

Bella punched Andrew's shoulder. "I don't need you to take care of me, Dork."

"They sure think otherwise. Right, guys?" Andrew teased, looking at the duo, who were headed toward the door.

"Bye!" Reid yelled, waving his hand at them, with his back turned.

"And remember to lock the door!" Derek shouted as an afterthought.

"WE KNOW!" The two kids yelled, rolling their eyes at one another.

Finally, they heard the hotel door shut behind the agents and the teens sighed in relief.

-:-

Morgan closed the door behind him and took a deep breath. "Do you think they bought it?"

Reid shrugged. "They looked like they didn't suspect a thing."

Morgan nodded and prayed they the teens had bought the whole 'Everything is normal and this extra-protection deal is precautionary' act that he and Spence put on. Little did the teens know that the windows and back doors had been locked, the main entrances were being watched and video taped, the stairs were closed and the elevators had police monitoring them. No outside guests were allowed to the rooms without a full inspection and no one was allowed to go near their room door, which was also being video taped.

"Good."

"They'll be okay." Spencer said, trying to believe it.

-:-

"That took forever." Andrew said, going to dead lock the door.

"I know! They were even more paranoid than usual, if that's possible. What do you want to do today?" Isabella asked, collapsing on the couch and staring at the ceiling.

"I know." Andrew began, raising his eyebrows.

"What?"

"It's a surprise. Let me go get the stuff. Spence gave them to me. He said he figured they would come in handy, us being stuck in a hotel room all day, alone." Andrew explained casually, motioning for her to follow him into his bedroom.

"Did he?"

"Yeah. He said the whole team has them for when they are on the plane, bored and in the mood to have some fun." Andrew replied, reaching in his bag and pulling out a small box. He motioned for her to come sit on the bed with him.

"Mhmm…" Isabella mumbled, taking a seat across from him.

"You ready? Actually, before we start I have to warn you of something." Andrew said_, _smiling. "I am notoriously good at poker." He bragged, opening the box to reveal a deck of cards.

-:-

"Three pair!" Isabella announced, smiling. "I win!"

"What? How is that possible? My algorithm never fails!" Andrew complained, flipping his losing hand onto the bed.

Isabella chuckled. "Math isn't good for everything. Now, I say we celebrate with a trip to the vending machine! Whaddya say?" She announced, grabbing some coins from her pile of winnings.

"We aren't supposed to leave the room." Andrew said, suddenly serious.

"Awe, come on, Andrew, It's just down the hall. Like, three rooms away. We're fine." Isabella whined, hobbling over to her Converse and slipping one onto her un-booted foot.

"Fine, but you have to hold my arm." He said. Isabella turned to him and gave him a confused look. He blushed. "For safety purposes, of course."

"Safety, right…" She teased smirking. She grabbed his arm with one hand and held the room key and the coins in the other. "Let's go!"

They rushed out the door and began making their way down the empty hall. About halfway down, Andrew stopped.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Bells. Let's go back." He said, his eyes panicked.

"No way, we're like, already there!" She complained, trying to tug him down the hall.

Suddenly, there was a click behind her. The two turned and saw a door to a room behind them open. Then, before they even had time to react, a large man reached out, grabbed them and pulled them in, slamming the door closed behind him.

**And, there we have it! :] I felt slightly sketchy writing this…not gonna lie. Thoughts? Opinions? Review and let me know. **

**Oh! Thanks to my lovely reviewers. You guys make my day. And a big THANKS for my anon reviewers. You guys have been really great lately, but I never get a chance to tell you because you guys don't have accounts. **


	18. Chapter 18

**Here you go. I also felt very sketchy writing this…Not sure why. Oh, and just to let you know…the first part is normal POV, then the UnSub's, then Bella's. Sorry if it's confusing. **

Morgan set down his phone, worry etched onto his face. Bella and Andrew weren't answering their phones. Typically, this wouldn't be a big deal, but with a teen-capturing torturer who specifically targeted them on the loose and the sick feeling welling up in his stomach, Derek felt that something was off. He just didn't know what. Bella may not have always been consistent with the answering of her phone, but Andrew always picked up his cell. Literally. The "missed calls" list on his phone was completely empty.

Derek picked up his phone and quickly dialed the number of one of the policemen guarding the elevators. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hello, Agent Morgan? Everything okay?" The cop said to his headset.

"I was going to ask you the same thing. Isabella and Andrew aren't answering my calls, which is uncommon. I need you to check up on their room immediately." Derek said hurriedly.

"Yes, sir. I'm on it." The officer replied, clicking the up button in the elevator.

"Hurry. And keep me on the phone." Derek responded anxiously.

After reaching the correct floor, the officer ran down the hall to Derek's door. He knocked, getting no response. He knocked again, harder this time.

"Okay, I'm not getting anything." The officer informed.

"Shit. Get in that room. NOW." Derek demanded, panicking.

The officer took out his universal room key and did as he was told, his gun at the ready.

"It's clear. They're not in here." He declared after a moment of silence. "Hello?" He asked. Derek had hung up.

Derek stood up. "Hotch! Guys! Isabella and Andrew are gone! Get over here. NOW! We're going to the hotel!" He announced to everyone in the room, grabbing his keys and running out the doors, not caring if anyone actually followed. He ran all the way to the car, his mind racing, praying that Bella and Andrew were actually in the room and the officer was just an idiot. Just as he was strapping in, the team caught up with him, panting, and their eyes wide with fear. They squeezed themselves inside Derek's car, despite the lack of space. Derek switched on the police lights and sped out of the parking lot.

As soon as the car was in front of the hotel, Derek grabbed the keys out of the ignition and ran out of the car, without a word to the others. He jogged through the lobby, got in a vacant elevator (all the stairs were locked as Derek requested), the team on his heels. The doors opened and ran he down the hall to his room, where about eight or so officers were milling around the door. He pushed past them, charging into the suite.

It looked normal. He walked into the kitchen. It looked exactly the way it did this morning. Only without Andrew and Bella. He turned around to find the whole team behind him, worried expressions occupying their faces.

"The police said they definitely aren't here. But, all the windows are still locked. That's a good sign. But they haven't done much searching, though. Not much is confirmed. I'm sure Bella and Andrew just got bored and left. They're fine." JJ said, laying a hand on Derek's shoulder.

Derek nodded. "Let's start looking." He whispered quietly.

"I'll call them again." Reid said, flipping open his phone.

Morgan heard a noise from the bedroom. He whipped out his gun and motioned to Prentiss to come along. She followed close behind. As they got entered the room, guns at the ready, they realized it was just a buzzing cell phone. Andrew's cell phone. It was sitting on the bed, lit up and vibrating with the words "Spencer Reid" on the screen. He put the gun back in its holster and reached for the phone.

"Hey Spence, it's in here." He called out. He glanced at the bed, noticing Bella's phone sitting on it, as well. "Bella's phone is, too."

Reid, Hotch, Penelope, JJ and Rossi filed into the room.

"I called the local P.D. and reported them missing, just so everyone will be on the look out. We should probably look around the suite. Maybe there's an indication of where they went. " Hotch explained. Derek turned around, preparing to dig around the bed, which was covered in cards. Hotch stopped him. "Morgan, wear gloves. Um, just to be on the safe side. You never know."

Morgan swallowed and looked at Reid, praying it wouldn't come to that. He snapped on his gloves and began to slowly wander the room, looking for a hint as to where the kids might be.

Noticing all the frightened and somber faces of the team, Rossi spoke up. "Hey, remember what JJ said? This is Andrew and Bella. They wouldn't do something reckless. They're probably fine."

Morgan looked up. "I seriously hope so, man." He answered before sifting back through the cards.

It looked like they were playing poker. And by the looks of it, someone just won.

Two hands were face up, one with three nines, one with a pair of sevens. All the money was pushed to one side (the side with the three-nines hand). Where could they possibly have gone?

"Guys! GUYS! Get over here!" Derek heard Spencer yell. Derek raced from the room to where Spencer was standing.

"What is it, Reid?" Hotch asked. Spencer just shook his head and handed Hotch his phone.

Hotch put it on speaker. "Hello?"

"Hello. I told you I'd get them. It was simple." A voice taunted.

Morgan lunged for the phone, snatching it from Hotch's grip. "Listen, you. You don't touch them! Don't you lay a hand on them or I will find you and literally pound you into the floor. Why don't you try to fight people your own size? Huh? No you hide behind your little screen. You son of a bitch." He ranted.

There was a light laugh and a click. He had hung up. Derek's insides burned. He dropped the phone and ran towards the hotel door. He went straight up to the group of officers.

"Which of you was guarding the elevators?" He bellowed. Two blonde officers stepped forward. Derek grabbed both of their shirts. "What the hell is wrong with you two? You had one job. Just one. And you screw it up. He has them. You hear me? He has them! What? Is it so hard to make sure no one goes through these halls?" He demanded, yelling in their faces.

"Morgan!" Spencer yelled, grabbing his shoulders. "Let go of them. It's not their fault."

Derek softened and let go of them. "Sorry…just a bit wound up." He mumbled. He looked up at his team. They all stared back, alarm visible in their eyes. "We need to find him."

-:-

It worked. I got them. He said I wouldn't, but I did. I thought I wouldn't be able to. I saw the cops and the closed stairs and I thought maybe I wasn't clever enough to take them undetected. But then, the kids- the stupid, idiotic kids –just wandered on out of their room, chatting as loud as possible. As soon as I saw them through the peephole, I knew I could grab and pull 'em in easily. I mean, they were holding onto each other and the girl, she had the injured leg. It was just way too simple. And to add to it, they stopped right in front of my room, arguing.

How ideal. I whipped open the door and yanked them in. Done. The hard part was over.

I had to get them to shut up and cooperate. This part was easy. That's why having two of them was better. They were connected. They cared for each other. All I had to show them was if one didn't listen, the other would hurt and then they wouldn't dare to try to resist me. Just one flash of that gun…that's all it took. I strapped them in chairs and told them just how smart I was. And how terrible they were. I could literally see the horror in their eyes. It was beautiful. I then grabbed my cell phone, dialing the number of Doctor Spencer Reid. He answered but said nothing to me. I heard him yell and everyone gathered on the other side. When I heard somebody say "Hello?", I told them what I did. Derek began to rant and I watched the kid's faces turn from fear to pure depression. And guilt.

Perfect. I hung up.

Then, it was the escaping part. I dressed up. Then, I took the little brats and shoved them into suitcases. _Suitcases._ How fucking inventive does it get? I had to keep them alive to show their little families, but I wanted nothing more than to shove them in those things without any air tanks. That'll give them something to cry about. Teenagers were so dramatic. Their faces…they were so shocked. Then, so upset. Crying, looking like they were sad. Fucking babies. Did they not realize this was their fault? They left their hotel room. God, they deserved to hurt. They needed to feel real pain. And I was more than happy to supply it.

-:-

I knew I should've screamed. I really did. Derek always told me that, God forbid, I get taken, I should scream and scream and scream because in the end of the day, it's my life on the line and if I don't scream I will most likely get killed anyways. I always promised him I would and wondered why most people didn't do that. Now, I know why. Because they can't. Because for a second, you're in shock. Then, you realize what's going on. And it's so scary, that you're frozen, inside and out. By the time you register that you should scream and struggle, he has already got his hand wrapped around your mouth and friend duct-taped to a chair. And then it comes. The guilt. You are suddenly flooded with this horrible epiphany that _this is your fault_. Everyone told you not to leave: Derek, Spence, and Andrew. But you did anyways and now, Andrew is suffering. You're eyes fill with tears as you face you're best friend, his eyes more scared than you've ever seen them. And when he lets go of your mouth, for that one little second, screaming is the last thing on your mind. You have to apologize. You squeak out a little "I'm sorry" to your friend before your mouth is restricted again. It doesn't change a thing, but at least he knows. And by then, any chance you had to scream is gone because your mouth is taped and you're stuck to a chair, unable to move or speak.

At first, I didn't know it was the UnSub. I thought it was just a creep in a hotel. He reached down and picked up my chair and carried me so I was sitting directly next to Andrew. I thought he was just going to kill us. Some psycho murderer. But when he lowered his voice and explained what was going to happen, I knew exactly who he was.

"Andrew." He said looking at him. "Your name is Andrew. You're Spencer's. And you're Isabella. You're Derek's. I know. I studied up on you two. I knew you were here and so I came. I told them I'd get you. I didn't know how yet, but I was going to get you. I saw the police when I checked in. They tried to protect you. But you guys didn't listen. I told them you were bad. I told them. They didn't think so! But I knew you guys were bad! I knew it. I knew you wouldn't listen to them! I saw you, walking down the hall. You made it _so easy._ Stupid, idiotic kids. You never listen." He bellowed, getting louder and louder with each second. He stopped, taking a deep breath, then continuing calmly. "And now, you're mine. I'm going to punish you for not listening. I'll give you what you deserve. I'll show them." He took his phone and dialed a number.

I heard Spencer yell frantically then silence on the other line. Then Hotch's uncertain "Hello?". Then Derek's voice filled the air. I saw the man smile as Derek went on and on. I heard how upset I made everyone and I wanted to die, right then. The man laughed and hung up. He smiled evilly at me and went to another room.

It all made sense now. The extra protection, the paranoia. If only I had listened…I turned to Andrew, letting my tears fall. He shook his head and made a muffled "Shhh…" sound. I stopped crying and he nodded. Then, he leaned his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. I saw his cheeks rise into an attempted-smile. My eyes filled up again. He was forgiving me. It was my fault. I screwed over his whole life, I might've gotten him killed and he forgave me. I closed my eyes, trying to make the tears quit. I was the worst person alive.

We heard a small thud and sprung apart. The man returned to the room. He was in new clothes. He looked professional, like he was a businessman. His disguise. He got down on one knee.

"Now, we have to get out of here before they find us." He said softly, sounding eerily calm.

He brought out two big empty suitcases, two tiny tanks and a big bag of clothes. He kept my arms and legs tied very tight, but untied my middle section. He quickly removed my boot, revealing my swollen and bruised leg. "Shattered knee, right?" He asked, already knowing the answer. "That just won't work for this." Then, he picked me up and set me _inside_ one of the suitcases. I would've struggled and squirmed, but my leg was searing with pain. I tried to scream through the tape and managed to get out the tiniest squeak before he stopped me.

"Whoa there missy. I'd cooperate because if not, your little friend might have to pay." He said, flashing the gun in his back pocket. He was still using his soft, happy voice. I shut up. He turned to Andrew. "You, too. One little struggle and Isabella here will be in pain. Okay?"

I cringed. His voice saying my name just sounded wrong. We both nodded. I couldn't let Andrew get hurt for my mistake. The man then made me lay down in the suitcase. He put one of the tanks in there with me. He out a finger to his lips and slowly peeled off the duct tape off my lips and swiftly replaced it with a little mask that was connected to the tank. Then he taped over my mask, making it impossible to talk again. I took a breath. It was an oxygen tank. Next, he shoved a handful of clothing all around me in the spaces of the case that weren't filled. He then tied rubber strip around my upper arm and pulled a needle from his pocket. The needle had clear liquid inside. He flicked it twice before stabbing into the crease of my arm. Pain seared through my arm. I tried to scream and I saw Andrew squeeze his eyes shut. My eyes watered. Through blurry eyes, I saw him repeat what he did to me with Andrew. I wanted to yell for him to leave Andrew alone, but my brain felt disconnected to my body. So I lay there, watching him get shoved into a suitcase and stabbed with a needle. Then, things went black.

**Okay, so I have a question for you guys. I saw the girl who I based Bella off of and I told her about this and she read it. She liked it. :) I asked if I could post a link to a picture of her so you guys could see what I imagined Bella being, and she said sure. I'll only do it if you guys want me to. I could understand why people wouldn't want me to. Let me know! Her name is Ashley (that's where Bella got her middle name. She, like me, had a brain tumor and we met at the hospital. She was there for me in one of my hardest times. That's why I based this character off her. **

**Reviews are appreciated. :D**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks for all the reviews! :)**

"Okay. Just so we're clear, we don't even glance at another case until Andrew and Isabella are back with us." Hotch ordered. He turned to Spencer and Derek. "Which, they will be. We just need to be quick and focused to beat this guy. Got it?"

"Hey, what's going on here?" Said a voice behind them. They all turned to face the source of the noise. It was a man, blonde about 30 by the looks of it, standing by the door. He spoke again. "Is everything okay?" He asked, peeking into the room.

JJ met him by the door. "Yes, everything's fine. But this is a pedestrian-free area. I'm going to have to ask you to move along, sir."

The man looked appalled. "Well, sorry. I'm just curious. You have nothing to worry about; I'm leaving, anyways. Good luck with whatever this is." He said, waving absentmindedly and making his way down the hall, pushing his luggage cart and muttering to himself.

"JJ, can you get someone to cross this area off?" Dave said.

"Yes." She replied, going over to the group of officers.

"First off, we need to find out how he got in here. This whole place was on lockdown." Hotch said, trying to focus. "The security footage outside their room. We need to see it."

"Sure. Gimme a minute." Garcia said, plopping down on the closest chairs and opening he laptop. The video feed popped up.

"Fast forward, see if you see anything suspicious."

Garcia nodded and she fast-forwarded. Everything seemed normal until finally she saw two figures emerge form the room. She rewinded and played it.

Andrew walked Bella out of the room, clutching her arm tightly. Bella thunked down the hall and when they had almost walked out of the frame, Andrew pulled Bella to a stop.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Bells. Let's go back." They heard him say, sounding nervous.

"No way! We're like, already there!" She exclaimed. She was half-limping, half-pulling him down the hallway and out of the frame. Then, they were gone. Those couple of seconds were all they had. Garcia paused the video again, looking up at the team.

"They left." Rossi stated blankly.

Hotch shook his head. "What time was that?"

"Um, 11:47."

"Where were they going?" Morgan asked, his voice not even sounding like his own.

"Wait, did they ever come back, Garcia?" Reid questioned. She fast-forwarded until she saw the officer come and open the door, per Morgan's requests.

"No."

"Then, maybe there's something down there then." Prentiss said. "Come on."

Prentiss, Morgan, Reid, Hotch and Rossi ran out of the room and down the hall, until they hit where the ice machine was. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Hotch stopped and looked around. "All right. We have to act quickly. Reid, you and Garcia review that video. Pick out anything, anything at all, that's out of the ordinary. Also keep a look out for the…video stream. Morgan, Prentiss, you guys and JJ go look at the other security we had up. And talk to other guests. Ask if they saw anything out of the normal. Dave and I will go talk to the officers. Let's get to work."

-:-

Reid and Garcia sat next to her computer, playing and replaying the few seconds of video with the kids on it.

"What's she holding?" Garcia asked, pausing the video and pointing to Bella's hand.

"Um, zoom in." Reid said. She did. "It looks like…a card and…some coins?"

"The card is probably the room key. And the coins…why would she have money?"

"The vending machine!" Reid exclaimed. "There was one right at the end of the hall, remember?"

"Right. But why wouldn't they come back? Getting candy only takes so long." Penelope pointed out.

Reid ran a hand through his hair, the terror setting back in. "I'm not sure…play it again."

"Hey, can you turn up the volume?" Reid said after watching it. She turned it up and replayed it. "Did you hear that?" Reid asked.

Penelope shook her head. "No."

"Listen." He said. They leaned close to the screen. They heard the thunk of Bella's boot. And Andrew's pleads to go back. Then, Bella's voice again along with her leg brace hitting the floor. Then, very quietly, they heard a door slam, followed by silence. "The door. Did you hear that?"

"So, somebody opened and closed a door?" Penelope asked, confused.

"And silence!" Reid practically yelled.

Penelope was lost. "So…?"

"So, the kids must've gone inside that door!"

"How do you know?"

"The entire time in this video, you can hear Bella's boot thumping against the floor when she walks. Then as soon as that door slams, it stops."

"What if it's just because the microphone stopped picking up the sound?" Penelope asked.

"The thumping noise didn't fade though, it abruptly stopped. And later in the video, when the officer walks up to the door, you can hear him talking to Morgan well before he gets on screen. The only thing between this room and the vending machine is other rooms. They were forced into one of the rooms right here. He's inside the hotel. He was checked in. That's how the UnSub got in here undetected. That's why they never came back." He explained quickly, barely breathing in between words. He pulled out his gun, calling for the rest of the team.

"What's wrong?" Hotch said, seeing Reid's pulled gun.

"He's in this hotel. In one of the room's next to us." He said.

"How do you know?" Rossi questioned.

"In the video, Bella's holding coins. They're going to the vending machine. The whole time, you can hear Bella's boot hitting the floor when she walks. Then, when they're off screen, you hear a door slam and then it's silent. They _must've _gone in a room." He re-explained, panting.

"What if he left with the kids already?" Emily asked.

"We would've seen it on the video. The only way to get out of the hotel would've been the main entrance due to all of the security. And he would have needed to take the elevator, which he couldn't have gotten to without walking past this camera." Reid added, bouncing up and down out of anxiety.

"Okay, so let's go. We need to search every room between here and the vending machines. Have JJ ask which rooms are occupied, then we can search them." Hotch demanded.

"No, we can't wait. We need to go in now." Morgan retorted, forcefully. "What if he's hurting them?"

"We can't just barge in." Hotch replied.

"He's right." Rossi added, seeing the seething look Morgan's face. "But no one can leave this floor until we search. He can't go anywhere."

Morgan slammed his fist onto the table and Reid looked like he was going to punch somebody. "Fine." Reid mumbled.

-:-

"That doesn't make sense." Reid said twenty minutes later, after searching the last of the three rooms. Two were unoccupied, completely free of anything suspicious and two young women occupied the other. It was also free of anything out of the norm. He turned to the hotel manager, who was standing with JJ by the door. "Had anybody checked out of these rooms today, around 12?"

She flipped through some papers. "Um, well, 12 is our usual check out time and a Todd Rivers checked out of 304 today at that time."

"304? That's this room!" Morgan exclaimed.

"But he couldn't have left without being on that video or having one of us see him!" Emily said, puzzled.

JJ sighed, putting her head in her hands. "We did see him."

"What are you talking about, JJ?" Hotch asked.

JJ looked up, tears streaming down her face. "He walked right past, I told him to get off the crime scene."

**-Flashback-**

"_Hey, what's going on here?" Said a voice behind them. They all turned to face the source of the noise. It was a man, blonde about 30 by the looks of it, standing by the door. He spoke again. "Is everything okay?" He asked, peeking into the room. _

_JJ met him by the door. "Yes, everything's fine. But this is a pedestrian-free area. I'm going to have to ask you to move along, sir."_

_The man looked appalled. "Well, sorry. I'm just curious. You have nothing to worry about; I'm leaving, anyways. Good luck with whatever this is." He said, waving absentmindedly and making his way down the hall, pushing his luggage cart and muttering to himself._

**-End Flashback-**

"He didn't have Andrew and Bella with him though. It still doesn't make sense." Hotch pointed out.

Morgan shook his head. "Wait, how long was he checked in, ma'am?"

The manager looked through her papers again. "Um, just one night…"

Morgan immediately squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his hands over his head, breathing hard.

"What?" Rossi asked.

"Why the hell would he have a luggage trolley with that many large suitcases if he was here for on night?" He said in an eerily calm voice.

"You…you think he…?" Emily stuttered, unable to even fathom the thought.

Rossi sighed. "They were right there. They were _in_ those bags."

Reid ran from into the bathroom, the sick feeling in his stomach finally winning him over. Then, just when things felt like they were at an all time low, Morgan's phone rang.

"Yeah, Garcia?" He answered, trying to ignore the sound of Reid's retching.

"Come back to the room. The video's here." She stated in a un-Garcia-like monotone.

**The End (for this chapter). Review, please! **


	20. Chapter 20

**Thanks for the all the reviews, PMs, alerts, and favorites! :)**

Reid gripped the edge of the porcelain toilet seat, his eyes watering as his body forced the food from his stomach. Finished, he leaned back against the opposite wall, panting. He then heard Garcia announce that the video feed was here and, unable to control himself, he doubled over the toilet seat again. Only this time, he felt a small hand rub circles on his back. He finished and found the hand belonged to JJ.

"Thanks." Reid mumbled, pushing himself up and flushing the toilet.

JJ watched worriedly as he washed his hands and rinsed his mouth.

"JJ, I'm fine."

JJ sighed. "Spence…"

"I said I'm fine!" He exclaimed, startling the blonde. Seeing the hurt expression on her face, he backtracked. "JJ, I didn't mean to…"

She cut him off. "You don't always need to be fine, Spencer. You have every right to be upset about this whole thing. We all are. Just let me know, I want to help you."

"You can't help with this though." He mumbled, sounding defeated.

"No, but I can be there for you. Don't leave me in the dark, Spence."

Spencer finally met her eyes. "I'm sorry." His voice shook. "I just…"

JJ grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. "I know. Me too."

-:-

Minutes later, JJ brought Reid back to the room where most the team was gathered around one of Garcia's screens. Garcia herself, however, was typing furiously at another laptop, tears pouring down her cheeks, but focused as ever.

She saw Reid walk in. "Hey. Better?"

Reid shook his head. She just gave a knowing nod and continued. Reid and JJ pushed their way through the little group around the other computer and stole a glance at the screen. There was Bella and Andrew, both knocked out, strapped to chairs in the same big room he had seen two other teenagers get murdered just hours ago. "Has he done anything yet?" Reid asked, afraid of the answer.

Morgan sighed. "No. The stupid son of a bitch hasn't even showed up on screen yet. Garcia?" He asked.

She looked up from her screen. "Yeah, um, the Todd Rivers whose info you gave me is in the hospital. He has been there for twelve years."

"What?" Morgan replied.

"I know. But I think I know who our real guy is. It's his son, Malcolm. The Rivers were a wealthy family. Their mother died when he was car accident when Malcolm was sixteen. His father, little twin siblings and Malcolm were all in the car, but everyone no one else was hurt. After the accident, the twins and Malcolm often missed school. CPS went to investigate. When they arrived, the twins were shot dead and Malcolm had stabbed the father multiple times. He said it was self defense. He claimed his father went on rampage when he heard CPS was coming. CPS then put him in a foster home for two years, because the father went into a coma."

"Why would the father try to kill the kids?" Emily questioned.

"Well, when they examined the bodies of the twins it showed both kids were heavily abused. Broken bones, bruises and, get this, severe burns, branding and scraped knees with glass shards in them. He probably panicked."

"What about Malcolm?"

"Physically, Malcolm was fine. It says he underwent much therapy and finished off school…then nothing." She announced quietly.

"Nothing?" Rossi asked.

"Yeah. After he finished school, there's nothing else. No credit cards, no license, nothing on him since then. However, the father's credit card is still in use."

"But isn't the father in a coma?" Hotch asked.

"Well, not anymore. He woke up, paralyzed…two weeks ago. But he's hospitalized. But still, it looks like Malcolm has been using his dad's credit card up." She confirmed, typing away.

Just then, a yelp came from the other computer screen. Everyone turned to see the man in a red hood press a long piece of metal with a white tip to Andrew's wrist. He woke and immediately groaned, squirming and crying. The team watched in horror as he tried to pull away. Finally, he took it off of him. Andrew panted, his eyes closed.

The man laughed and turned to Bella. Andrew opened his eyes.

"Wait!" Andrew yelled weakly. "Please don't. Please. Don't hurt her."

"What the hell is wrong with you, boy?" He sneered, grabbing Bella's hand and jamming the metal to it. Bella jerked, but didn't open her eyes or make a sound. When he finally released her hand, it fell limp on her lap.

-:-

I awoke to the sound of slap. I grunted and tried to open my eyes. It wasn't working. I waited a minute before blinking again. Things came into view. I was in a big room. It was wooden and large and smelled like…hay? It was a barn. I tried to focus. Yep. It was definitely a big, old barn. Half of it was dimly lit and the other part faded into a thick blackness. I heard another ripping sound. I forced my head to look left. I saw Andrew, tied to a chair. His hands were in his lap and the man was standing in front of him, his dirty face inches from Andrew's. Even with my eyes blurry, I could see that Andrew awake. His eyes were hard and he glared right back at the man, seemingly fearless. It all came rushing back, like a movie on fast forward. The poker game, the man, the suitcases, the needle. I looked down at myself. I was also bound to a chair. Then, I felt pain of a thousand knives being stuck in my wrist.

"Ah!" I yelled weakly, my hand burning. The man tore his face away from Andrew's.

"Hello. Burns doesn't it?" He growled, grinning and walking over to me.

I tried to think but my arm just kept burning. I moaned again, unable to help it.

"Why?" I asked, trying to form sentences with the pain pulsing through my veins.

"Oh, you don't know? Let me show you." The man said, walking around to the back of my chair. He untied my hands and plopped them on my lap, making the pain worsen. "Take a look." He teased. I used my right hand to pick up my burning left one, so I could examine it close up. There, burned right into my wrist, was a sideways eight. The infinity sign. It was currently pale white and burning like it was still on fire. "Like it?" He asked, running his finger across the back of my neck, making me shiver. "I do." He whispered. He glanced at his watch. "Oh, time to check the stream!" He exclaimed before sprinting across the room, into the dark.

"Bells?" I heard Andrew say. I looked at him then glanced back to where the man had disappeared. "It's okay. It takes him a little while to come back. You can talk." He reassured.

I lifted my hands. "Do you have one?" I asked, knowing the answer but hoping it wasn't true.

"Yeah, don't think about it though. It helps." He said.

"How long have you been up?" I questioned, still feeling the sharp pain in my wrist.

"A while. Don't worry, he didn't do much. He leaves every now and then. He won't be back for a bit." He informed.

"What's he checking?" I wondered, confused.

"I don't know… He answered, shrugging, then wincing.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, crying.

"Hey now. There is no need for that. Bells, listen to me. I know you're upset, but you need to just forget about it and focus if we want to get out of here." Andrew said.

"Forget about it? How the hell am I supposed to forget that this is my fault? I have made way too much trouble for the team and I've put my best friend's life on the line. Why would me focusing even help? I can't do anything to save us, I got us here to begin with. We might as well not bother."

Andrew smiled, despite the situation. "I'm your best friend?" He asked, smirking.

"This is not the time!" I scolded. Then I thought about how we might die. "But yes. You are."

"You know, this isn't your fault." Andrew tried to convince her.

"Can you stop? It is. I made you leave the room." I countered, feeling a tad bit dizzy.

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the barn and suddenly he appeared from the dark area of the barn, his fists clenched and eyes burning with rage.

"Get up!" He yelled, spit flying out of his mouth. He reached my chair and grabbed the tape from my midsection, ripping it off. He then grabbed my shoulders and pulled me to a standing position. I wobbled and struggled to stand on my hurt leg. Keeping one hand clenched tightly around me arm, he removed the tape from Andrew as well. Gripping our arms he guided us to the large pile of broken glass bottles on the floor. He stopped at the edge of the pile and looked into the darkness.

"This is just for you." He said before pushing down on the our shoulders, forcing us to kneel on the pile.

I immediately cried out, the pain unbearable. My knee was still throbbing. Andrew winced when the glass pierced his skin.

He turned towards the kids. "Sit on your knees. And stay there. Make one move and I'll kill you both. Got it?" He explained, his face blank.

I nodded. He turned to Andrew. "And you?" He asked.

Andrew just stared at him.

"Andrew. Agree." I urged softly, not sure what he was doing.

After a moment Andrew responded in a voice so confident, I wasn't sure where it was coming from. "Why should I?"

"Andrew..." I began.

Andrew cut me off. "No, Bells. He can't control me. And he shouldn't be able to control you either."

"You're right."

The man laughed. "Oh. Andrew. We have ways of controlling you." He growled, walking over to me. He pulled a gun from his back pocket and placed it to my temple. Andrew's eyes grew. "Not so tough now, huh?"

Andrew opened his mouth to respond, but I spoke up.

"Don't Andrew. You don't have to agree." I exclaimed, trying to not flinch at the gun to my head.

"I'm not taking the chance." Andrew said to me. He looked up at the man. "Fine. We agree."

"That's what I thought." He stated, lowering the gun.

**I would love nothing more than a review.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Yay. I got a ton of alerts today! :D Thanks so much. This chapter has Bella, Andrew and normal POVs. Sorry if it's hard to decipher! Now, just to let you know, the picture of Ashley (the inspiration for Bella) will be here soon. And to clarify, no, Hotch and Emily haven't told the team about their relationship yet. Soon though, soon. :) **

Derek Morgan wasn't a crier. He had an over active temper during stressful situations, but he was never one to sit down and just sob. It made him feel weak. Vulnerable. And he hated feeling that way, especially since the Carl Buford incidents. However, when he saw his niece- his innocent niece -and her friend strapped to a chair, in pain, he couldn't help but let the tears fall. Still, it didn't last long. The sorrow for the kids could only last so long before the rage towards the man who did that to her overpowered it. The anger surged through him and he could no longer control his emotions. He stormed out of the suite, unable to even give an explanation to his team. He walked down the hall- the same hall Bella and Andrew had walked down just hours before- and into the tiny room where the ice and vending machines were. As soon as he was within arms distance he began to pound the front of the machine mercilessly, for no reason. It wasn't like it was going to pop out answers like it did snacks. He banged and banged, showing no signs of stopping. He didn't care who heard or saw. He was just too pissed. He continued for God knows how long. His knuckles felt raw and his arms were sore, but he kept going. Just when the machine looked like it was going to break, he felt arms wrap around him, stopping him. He struggled, trying to hit the machine once again. When they didn't let go, he jutted his elbow back, hitting someone's stomach. They dropped him. Morgan fell to his knees, panting.

"Morgan!" Rossi yelled, as Hotch groaned, gripping his stomach. "Morgan, get a hold of yourself."

Morgan looked up at them, his actions dawning on him. "I..I'm sorry." He said, distantly. "I…"

"We know." Hotch choked out. Morgan had a strong elbow. "But you need to focus."

Rossi kneeled down. "Derek, listen. We know it's hard. Especially on you. But Isabella and Andrew need you."

Derek blinked, still not completely there_. They needed him._ After some silence, he turned to Hotch. "I'm sorry."

Hotch nodded. "It's alright."

Suddenly, Morgan spoke, in a voice that sounded lost, almost child-like. "Why them?"

Rossi shook his head. "He's sick, Morgan. Disturbed. Whatever reason he has is warped. Messed up. It won't sense to us. You know that. I mean, hurting kids…how could you ever justify that?"

"The important thing is getting them back." Hotch said.

Coming to his senses, Morgan nodded and stood up. "Then let's do just that."

-:-

"That's what I thought." Reid saw the UnSub say to Andrew, as he lowered the gun that was previously pressed to Bella's head. Tears and anger burned inside him. "Garcia, please tell me you are getting closer."

Garcia nodded, her makeup streaming down her cheeks. "I'm getting there. I mean, I know he's been using his dad's credit card, but that still doesn't give much. He sometimes takes out a couple hundred dollars. He never bought a house or a place to live. He bought a disposable cell phone about… 2 weeks ago, in town. Um, there's still not much else to go off of."

"Wait, did you say he never bought a house?" Hotch asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, he has to live somewhere. Did the River's have any properties?"

Garcia typed away. "Yes. Eight. They were wealthy."

"Okay, how many are in town? He's probably close."

"Um, three."

"We still can't go check all three. We need to narrow it down." Morgan said.

Reid stared at the screen with the video. "How about one with a barn?"

"A barn?" Emily repeated.

"Yeah. The walls in the video are wooden…like a barn."

"Umm, yes. There is one with a barn. Like 10 minutes from here." Garcia informed.

"Let's go." Hotch said. "Garcia, you stay here and keep up updated on what's happening."

Garcia nodded as everyone filed out.

-:-

I kneeled on the glass, watching the man with the red hood pace back and forth in front of us. The amount of resentment I felt towards him was insane. Growing up, my mom always taught me to try to find the best in people. She always said that you should never hate, as it was just a bad emotion to have. I usually followed that pretty easily, but I actually _wanted _to kill this man.

Knowing that made me sick and ashamed of myself.

But I couldn't control it. The way this guy just showed off the power he had over Bella and I made the fury pulse through my veins and fill me up. I had so much excess anger. And the more the man hurt Bella, the more it built up. I felt like I was going to explode.

However, at the same time, I felt completely hopeless. Pathetic, even. This man was walking around, hurting my best friend- the one that I promised to keep safe just this morning –and I couldn't do anything. Even after knowing her for a short amount of time, Bella had become a huge part of my life. I couldn't imagine life without her. What if she got seriously hurt or…even died? How would I go on? How would I explain to everyone? Derek, the team, Dex, Sasha, myself?

The thought infuriated me and once again, the rage seized control of my body. I fought the urge to get up off the glass and beat Malcolm to a quivering heap. If I did, I knew he'd kill me. And Bella.

And there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen.

-:-

Garcia watched the tiny screen that held the fate of the two kids who she loved too much. She couldn't breathe. And she knew she wouldn't be able to until Bella and Andrew back were. None of the team could.

"What's he doing, Garcia?" Hotch's voice asked, over the phone.

Garcia watched as Malcolm paced back and forth in front of the kids, who were kneeling in the glass. Their hands were clenched but both had on a tough face. They were so determined. Malcolm just walked in a line, fumbling with the gun in his hands and mumbling to himself.

"Just pacing." Garcia replied, eyes still trained on the screen.

"It's okay. Hang in there." Bella said softly to Andrew.

"I know. You, too." Andrew replied.

Suddenly, he pointed the gun at Andrew. "Stop talking!" He demanded, his voice shaking.

"Wait, he's…he's…" She tried, unable to finish.

"What? He's what?" Hotch urged.

"Pointing the gun at Andrew. Telling him…he's telling him to stop talking." She said quickly.

"No." Andrew said simply.

"Andrew isn't listening." Garcia continued, tears falling.

"Why are they so stubborn?" Hotch whispered angrily.

"What?" Malcolm said on-screen, shocked.

"I said, no." Andrew said.

"You kids. You're all messed up. You don't listen." Malcolm said, dropping his gun at the edge of the pile. He stomped up to Andrew and punched him in the jaw. Andrew fell sideways.

"Stop!" Bella yelled, as Andrew pushed himself up. "Please stop."

"He's hitting them. Hotch, hurry." Garcia begged, unable to tear her eyes form the screen.

"We're pulling up." Hotch assured.

"No." Malcolm said. "You stupid kids need to learn." He kicked Bella's stomach and she hunched over.

"Fuck you. You sick, sadistic bastard. You're the messed up one." Andrew said, shaking with anger.

Penelope was shocked at Andrew's colorful language, but she couldn't help but feel a tiny sense of pride. He was so brave.

"Why you…" Malcolm said, reaching forward and wrapping his arms around Andrew neck, choking him.

"Hotch, he's choking him!" She panicked, all good feelings washing from her body.

Then, out of nowhere, She heard the trinkle of glass. Her eyes shot to where Bella was on the screen. She was lying across the glass. She gasped and more tears sprung to my eyes. Did she fall? But then, Garcia saw her reach out her arms, ignoring the glass puncturing her whole upper body.

Garcia gasped. "Bella jumped, kind of. Oh god, she's trying to grab the gun."

Bella closed her fingers around the gun. Malcolm was still choking Andrew. Bella pulled herself up to a shaky standing position. She pointed the gun at Malcolm.

"What?" Hotch asked, as he got out of the car. He and the team headed towards the large barn around back.

"She got it! And she's…standing up. Oh my god, she's going to…she's…" Garcia cried.

Malcolm froze, realizing what had happened. He looked over at her with a smirk, letting go of Andrew. "What are you going to do, huh? Shoot me?"

But Bella had a cold hard look in her eyes that would've made Hotch proud. She was doing this.

"Hurry! Before she…" Garcia begged.

Just then, Hotch and Morgan busted in the barn door, guns at the ready. Everyone froze.

-:-

I was so scared. I didn't want to admit I was, but I was. I wanted to be strong, like Andrew. But I wasn't.

I don't know how he withstood it. Not the pain. The pain was expected. And truthfully, it faded. After some time, it was normal even. I hardly even noticed it anymore. It was the fear that was the worst part. The fear…it was paralyzing. It made me fell like I wasn't even Isabella anymore. Like I was someone else. I no longer felt brave and confident, like I knew I supposed to feel in a situation like this. I felt…lost. And powerless. Like everything I didn't want to happen was going to happen, and I couldn't help it. I had felt like that before, when I found out my mom was dying. It made me want to rip my hair out and just scream and scream. I have no idea how Andrew kept his cool. He somehow stayed true to himself, his genuine, sweet self, and was courageous. And loyal. He refused to be controlled and even protected me. He _protected _me. How he even did so was unfathomable.

But it inspired me.

It made me feel like I owed him. I wanted to be just as brave as he was. So, when I saw the man choking him, making Andrew the helpless one, I knew I had to do something. Then I saw the gun.

I jumped.

I jumped at well as someone sitting on glass with a shattered knee could jump. And, despite the pain that seared through me entire boy, I got it. Nothing felt so good as that gun in my fingers. _My _fingers. Not the man's. I was in control now. I stood up- it was hard, but I managed- and I pointed the gun at the only person on Earth I hated. He saw me, and he laughed._ He laughed at me._ Like he underestimated me. Like I couldn't do it. Honestly, I wasn't actually sure if I could, but seeing his challenging face, I knew I had to.

Then, there was a bang and someone came in. It was Hotch and my uncle.

At first, I was convinced it was a dream. They couldn't actually be here. This was a hellish nightmare…it had to be some kind of trick. But then I saw JJ, Reid, Rossi and Emily file in behind them, guns at the ready.

They were really here.

I could put my gun down. I would be okay. There was a part of me- a huge part- that wanted to set down the weapon and run to my family. For half a second, that's exactly what I planned on doing. But, then I saw it again. His face. His face that was just screaming _you can't do it _at me. I could tell, even under the red hood. I had to prove that face wrong. I needed to. So, I didn't lower my gun, but rather kept my finger on that trigger. I was going to do it.

-:-

"Put down the gun, Bella." Hotch called softly. She didn't move, but continued to stare at Malcolm, unblinking, gun pointed at his face.

"Isabella." Morgan said. "It's okay. You can put it down now."

Andrew placed his hands down on the glass. He slipped a little when getting up, but he never once winced. His eyes were trained on Malcolm.

"Don't move." Malcolm said, challenging Andrew.

Andrew scoffed. "You can't do anything when you've got about six guns pointed at you." He growled, surprising the team with the lack of fear in his voice.

With that, Andrew limped to Bella and gently grabbed her arms with his blood-covered hands from behind, lowering them. She resisted for a couple of seconds, then finally, she gave in, letting the gun fall. Malcolm immediately lunged for the gun. Morgan shot, hitting his leg. Both teens closed their eyes and clutched each other as Malcolm fell to the floor in a heap. Morgan rushed forward, and advanced on Malcolm. He pounced on him, pounding him mercilessly. Hotch knew he had to stop Morgan, but secretly took his time doing so. Malcolm could use a little extra pain.

"Morgan. Morgan!" Hotch yelled after a couple of seconds, deciding it was enough. Morgan stopped. "Bella needs you." Morgan nodded and allowed Hotch to take over securing Malcolm.

"Get onto your knees. Hands above your head." Morgan heard Hotch bark to Malcolm.

The teens had limped into a corner and we simply sitting there, holding onto one another, eyes closed. The rest of the team had called for medical then just stood in a small clump, just staring at the teens. Morgan joined them.

"How should we…?" He asked JJ, knowing that dealing with victims well was a talent of hers.

"We can't overwhelm them." She explained softly. She neared them slowly, motioning for the team to follow. When she got close enough, she spoke in a tiny voice, just above a whisper. "Hey, guys."

They looked up, slowly. They looked conflicted as to whether the team was even real or not. Their uncertainty alone made Derek's heart break. After a second, though, both teens lunged towards the team. Bella threw her arms around Prentiss and Rossi then allowed Derek to scoop her up. She buried her head in his shoulder, grabbing onto him as tight as possible.

"Bella…" He whispered, tears escaping his eyes.

Reid, shaking, went up and wrapped his skinny arms around Andrew, who seemed to be getting bloodier by the second. Spencer didn't care. He didn't dare let go when Andrew buried his face into the shoulder of his only family and just cried, not caring who saw. Eventually, he lifted his head and reached for JJ as well.

Everything next was a blur. Medics placed the bloody children onto gurneys and they were put into the back of an ambulance. The whole team followed. Medics were gathered around the kids, attaching cords and trying to stop bleeding. It was really crowded and the medics weren't going to allow everyone to stay, but when the medics told them some had to leave, Bella freaked out.

"No!" She yelled, squirming.

"Don't move, Bella." One of the Medics instructed. "You need to be still or you'll unhook the tubes."

She looked up at the team. "Stay."

Hotch looked at the medic, who sighed. "Fine."

They soon got to the hospital, with the kids going in and out of consciousness. They were rushed into the E.R. Time seemed to move in slow motion. They all just sat around waiting for some confirmation that they were okay. None came. Nobody said much. Morgan called his mother and explained the whole ordeal. She sobbed and made immediate plans to come out with Sarah and Desiree. Morgan's insides burned. He _needed_ the kids to be okay. More time passed, nothing changed. Reid left shortly and returned with a bunch of coffees from a coin-operated machine down the hall. He passed them out within the team. He looked over at Morgan, deciding whether to approach him or not. Concluding that Morgan could use a friend and some caffeine, he tapped him on the shoulder.

"They'll be okay." Reid said, holding out a cup of coffee for Morgan.

Morgan grabbed it and sighed. "Reid, not even you can know that."

**That was long. Hm, oh well. Review, please. :) And just out of curiousity, what do YOU think will happen next? What do you want to happen?**


	22. Chapter 22

**Happy reading, my friends!**

A doctor with a clipboard walked up to the team. "Isabella Morgan?" He asked.

"Yes." Morgan answered. "And Andrew Reid."

The doctor nodded. "Well, the burns on the wrists are severe. They'll definitely scar. You can talk to a cosmetic surgeon about how you can lighten them. We removed most of the shards from their legs, but they have extremely deep scrapes on the knees."

"Will they be okay?" Garcia asked worriedly.

The doctor sighed. "Well, Isabella is okay. She got 23 stitches on her face. She had several other small gashes on her body, but we dressed them and they should heal up just fine. Her knee was pretty bad. It took some work to reset some of the bones, but after some work, we got them back into place. We'll have to remove some of the shards soon. We want her to wake up first, though. We need to know what's hurting and such. It's hard to do that without the patient being awake."

"What about Andrew?" Hotch asked.

"His case wasn't so simple. His injuries weren't that bad. Mostly bruises and a few gashes. But a shard of glass hit one of his main veins in his wrist and…well, he's lost a lot of blood."

Nobody said a word for a couple minutes.

Spencer felt numb. "Will he be okay?"

The doctor sighed. "We aren't sure, he lost about 37% percent of his blood. An adult could survive this, but Andrew is young and quite skinny. It could go either way. He's unconscious yet pretty stable right now, though. The only thing we can do is wait and see if he wakes up."

"I know." Spencer said quickly. "When do you think they'll wake? I mean,_ if…"_

"They could wake up at anytime. We aren't sure how much they will remember when they awake. Please don't overwhelm them as it may make them become unstable. Don't tell Isabella about Andrew just yet. And if they don't remember what happened, keep it that way for now. We'll need her to be in a good mind set for when we have to remove the shards. Try to remain calm and put up a good front for them. We recommend they see a therapist to help deal with possible PTSD. This is just what we've gathered so far. Once they gain consciousness, it will be easier to determine the lasting effects and emotional tolls." The doctor explained.

"Can we see them?" Emily asked.

"Come along." The doctor said, ushering them towards the two doors. He pointed to the one on the left. "This one is Andrew's room. The other is Bella's."

The team looked at one another, unsure of which one to go in.

"Can I maybe…be with Andrew alone for a while?" Spencer asked, timidly.

"Of course." Rossi said softly. "We can go visit Bella now, if it's alright with Morgan."

"Sure."

The doctor smiled softly before opening Bella's door as Spencer entered Bella's. They filed in silently, afraid of what they were going to see. Bella was covered in bandages and there was a think black line across her left cheek. She was asleep. The massive bed and all the tubes seemed to swallow her. It reminded Derek of when she was a baby. She was an itty-bitty thing and she always looked tiny in comparison to the world around her. He neared the bed and reached for one of her heavily wrapped hands. He lifted it cautiously, as if being too rough would break her.

"Oh, Bells…" Penelope said softly, stroking the teen's hair gently.

"She's a tough one." Rossi said, giving everyone a little hope. "She'll pull through soon."

The whole team nodded, hoping Rossi was right.

-:-

Spencer walked in and immediately felt uncomfortable. He hated hospitals, they reminded of the times when his mother would be rushed to the ER for overdose or when he'd have to go because his mother had a therapist meeting. Most of all, he hated how hospitals felt big and empty, making him feel alone. He wasn't going to let Andrew feel alone.

He walked slowly towards the hospital bed. There was Andrew, his face purple and bruised on one side. He was asleep and his sandy blonde hair was sticking out in every possible direction. Spencer grabbed a chair and pulled it right up next to the bed, planning to not leave this side for a second. Spencer watched him lay there, motionless and prayed that he'd soon see his eyes flutter open. Reid had grown to care for this boy more that he'd expected. He'd met Andrew a long time ago, at the hospital where their mother's were. They'd talked briefly and Spencer took a liking to the kid, but never in a million years did he think that Andrew would be living with him. However, when he saw Andrew sitting in the cafeteria at his mother's clinic, looking like a lost puppy, Reid had to ask what was wrong. Andrew explained his mother's overdose with a stern face, but Spencer could see the kid wanted nothing more than to cry. Spencer's heart got the best of him and then, after some arrangements, he'd returned to Quantico with a teenager in tow. Things were quiet at first. They went through their daily routine, without much bonding, but after a few weeks, things became comfortable and Spencer kind of loved having him around. It was nice to not come home to an empty house everyday. Sometimes, they'd stay up late watching TV or playing cards. Over a short amount of time, they'd developed a simple, brotherly relationship. It wasn't until Andrew was in danger did Spencer realize just how deep that relationship was. He couldn't lose Andrew. He just couldn't.

So, he sat there, trying to ignore the facts and statistics about blood loss that were bouncing around in his head.

-:-

Derek Morgan, who, along with the team, had been next to Bella's bed for quite some time, felt his heart leap when he saw Bella's eyes flutter ever so slightly.

"She's moving!" Penelope exclaimed.

Bella cracked open her eyes, seeing Derek standing above her. "Hmmm." She mumbled, shutting her eyes again. "Derek."

"Hey Sweetheart." He replied, giddily. His heart fell a little when he felt her subtly slip her hand from his.

"Where am I?"

"You're at the hospital." JJ blurted quickly.

Bella's eyes popped open, once more. "Jayje?"

"Yeah, Bells, we're all here."

"Why?"

"You…you don't remember?" Emily said softly.

Bella shook her head. "Where's Spencer?"

"He's…with Andrew." Morgan told her.

"Andrew…" She muttered. "Where is he?"

The team looked to one another nervously, but Bella didn't notice.

"Guys?" She continued, her voice weak.

Derek's heart broke. What was he supposed to say?

Hearing silence, Bella frowned, turning to Emily. "Em? Pen?"

Nobody knew what to say. If she remembered, she'd demand to see Andrew, which they couldn't allow.

"Bella…" Morgan began.

Bella pushed herself up and Morgan registered how pale she was. He clicked the button to call the nurse before gently placing two hands on her shoulders.

"Lay down, Bells."

A few nurses came in and Bella was immediately smothered. She allowed it, though. They left after a few minutes of checking and procedure, and she sat silently, staring down the six agents in the room.

"What's going on?" She asked, shaking. Still, no response. Holding back tears she asked again. "What happened?"

"We can talk about it later." Morgan replied, not making eye contact.

"We can talk about it now." Bella's words were as cold as ice.

"You need to rest." Morgan said through gritted teeth.

"I'll rest after I know why I'm here. Derek, I can't remember much. There's nothing there."

"I know it's hard, Bells, but you need to-"

"No, you don't. It doesn't take a profiler to notice something's wrong. I'm scared. Spence and Andrew are gone. I'm hurt and I don't know why or how or…" She began to cry softly.

Derek reached for her hand, but as soon as he came in contact with Bella, she pulled away. "Get out."

Morgan thought he heard wrong. "What?"

"Get. Out. All of you."

Morgan was pretty sure he could hear his heart breaking. "Baby…"

"No. Don't call me that. Tell me or get out." She repeated.

Morgan opened his mouth to say something, but JJ shook her head. Morgan knew he couldn't tell her about Andrew or the accident. It would do more damage than good. So, the team began to file out. Morgan tried to linger, but when Bella noticed she stared him right in the eye. "Leave, please."

JJ grabbed his arm and gently pulled him from the room. "Give her some time. She is just confused."

"And she had every right to be!" Morgan exclaimed. "Why can't we tell her? How could they ask us not to tell her?"

"Morgan, you know why. It'll upset her and that's not good for her right now."

Morgan looked defeated. "But it's upsetting her when we don't tell her anyways."

"I know." JJ replied. "It's upsetting all of us."

Soon, a doctor walked up to Morgan, announcing they were going to start resetting the bones and removing more of the deep shards. Everyone, mind Spencer (who was still with a non-responsive Andrew), asked to be allowed in the room to offer Bella support.

"It's up to her." The doctor replied.

Hastily, the team walked into the room behind the doctor.

"Can you tell me what's wrong and why I'm here?" Bella questioned the doctor.

"Um, not now. We need to work on your knee some more."

Bella nodded grimly, turning to the team. "What are you doing here?"

"We…Bella, we just want to be here for you." Penelope explained.

Bella looked beyond skeptical.

"We won't touch you or talk. We'll just be here."

To everyone's enjoyment, she nodded curtly.

They undressed the wound and began to work on the knee. Bella winced and pulled at the sheets at the slightest touch, but refused to hold anyone's hand.

The doctor looked worried at Bella held back a squeal. "Isabella, I have to be honest, this is just the beginning. The pain worsens when we have to go deeper. I know you're angry…"

"That barely covers it…" She muttered.

"…But it would be easier with the support of your family."

Bella scoffed. "That's hardly my family. Families don't lie to each other."

That one hit deep, not just for Derek. The whole team felt that one.

"Bells…" Emily tried.

Bella ignored her, but turned to the doctor. "Keep going."

The tears began to trail down her sullen cheeks soon after the doctor started up again. Hotch couldn't watch her suffer.

"Bella. I know you're angry. But we're only helping. Now," He stood up and kneeled by the bed, and grabbing hold of her hand, tightly. "I don't care what you say. If it hurts, squeeze."

Bella looked like she was going to punch him, but soon she softened and let him stay. She tugged on his hand and he began to mumble words of comfort to her. It helped. The rest followed suit and everyone was bunched up around the bed, holding her hand, rubbing her back or whispering words of encouragement to her. Even Morgan, who had generally refrained from getting to close, was clutching her hand after a few minutes. It was bittersweet. Sad, obviously, from watching her squirm like that, yet the tiniest bit happy, as the team felt like Bella had forgiven them.

And even Hotch couldn't help but smile at that.

**Okay, so first off, thanks for the amazing reviews! You anon reviewers are really stepping it up! (: Also, the link to the pictures of Ashley (Bella) are on my profile! Click away.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Reid's new haircut is so sexy. And Ashley wants to say thanks for all the compliments you guys gave her, she could NOT stop smiling. :) And thanks for the reviews.**

_Click._ I turned to see JJ walk into the room. "Bella's up. Upset and lost, but awake."

I smiled. At least one was okay. I turned back to Andrew, who was still out.

I felt her sit down next to me. "He'll be alright."

I couldn't help it; I shook my head. "Statistically-"

She didn't let me finish. "Screw statistics, Spence. Did you see him, on the video? He was more determined than I've ever seen him. He won't give up on us. He just won't."

I looked uncertainly at her. "Are you sure?"

She gave me a quick peck on the lips and intertwined her hand with mine. "100%."

-:-

My first thought was 'Man, it's bright'. I tried to focus on the scene around me.

Then I saw her.

At first, I thought it was a trick of the light, but after several blinks and rubbing my eyes vigorously, I knew she was real. She was sitting in that big maroon armchair, just like she always used to. Her eyes were locked on the big photo album she loved to look at. It was so beautiful, that I stood there, stunned, for a good couple of minutes before I thought to call out.

"Mom?" I said, hope brimming in my heart.

To my sheer delight, she lifted her head and when her eyes settled on me, she smiled. Her warm, crinkly-eyed smile I missed so much. I ran towards her, thrusting myself at her. I held on to her warm body, taking in the smells and the feel of her. She was really there.

"Hey baby." She mumbled softly. When I didn't let go, she chuckled softly. "Andrew. Let me look at you."

I leaned back, keeping my arms wrapped around her. She grinned at me and wiped away some tears on my cheeks that I didn't know existed. Her eyes scanned my body and her cheeky grin faded.

"Oh, Andrew…"

I looked down and noticed for the first time that I was…broken. I had cuts and bruises covering my arms, my knees were swollen, there was a bandage on my wrist. From what, though?

"What happened to me?" I asked, alarmed.

Mom sighed. "I can't tell you now, baby. You just need to focus on waking up."

"Waking up?" I took a moment to put all the pieces together. "Am…am I dying?"

My mom squeezed my hand. "Not if you don't want to. Just wake up."

"How?"

"You have to want it. Fight for it."

I nodded, taking it all in. I was confused, but somehow understood.

"What if I don't wanna leave yet? What if I want to stay with you? Can I do that?" I blurted.

She sighed. "Well, yes, but Andrew, you're family is waiting."

"Mom, you're my family. I'm going to stay with you." I couldn't lose her again.

"Andrew, sweetie. I know. You miss me. I'm sorry I left, but…you need to live your life."

I was already decided though, so I changed the subject. "Can I see the album?"

She gave a defeated sigh, but held out the album for me to see. We flipped through it and even though my eyes weren't on her, I could tell she was grinning ear to ear. She loved looking at the photos of us from when I was younger, before she got sick. I think it reminded her that she wasn't always so out of it. We passed through the typical humiliating naked baby pictures, the millions of Halloweens and birthday parties and a couple of Christmas ones, before I noticed new pictures. Pictures from just after my mom passed on. Pictures of events and things that didn't even have cameras present! They were…snapshots of my life.

I looked at her questioningly. "Mom?"

"I'm always watching, baby. I didn't just leave." She pointed of a picture of Bella and I on the first day of school, hugging by our special stairs. "Bella…if you stay with me, won't you miss her?"

She didn't give me time to respond before flipping to another page. It was Hotch and I in the ice-cream place, both of us smiling, a rare occurrence for Hotch. Next to it was a picture Bella and Emily smirking as I awkwardly sucked noodles that night at the Italian restaurant. Then, a picture of me leaning up against Hotch and Emily's car, making final plans with them for asking Bella out.

"Mom…" I groaned.

She ignored me. "What about nights like these?"

I knew where this was going. "But-"

She cut me off, flipping to another page. It was Morgan and Rossi giving laughing like maniacs as I struggled to use chopsticks. And one of Garcia and I eating fries, just talking.

"What about them?"

I finally got a word in. "Mom, yes. I love them. They're great. But you're…you're my mom. I can't just leave you."

"You aren't leaving me, though." She gestured at the pictures. "I'm always there."

"Not really! I can't see you or talk to you about my problems or just be around you."

She sighed. She knew I was right. "Yes. But that's why you have people like them in your life, Andrew. You're very lucky." She opened to a new page. I didn't recognize it at first. It was Spencer and JJ sitting by a hospital bed, holding the patients' hands. Both looked exhausted and had bloodshot eyes. I was confused for a second before I realized that _I _was in the hospital bed. My hair was a mess and I looked completely beaten up, but there I was. Spencer and JJ stared at me, their eyes distraught.

"Is that…?"

My mom nodded. "Now? Yes. Spencer hasn't left since the second he got here. JJ went to check on Bella then came right over."

My mind raced. "What happened? Is Bella hurt, too?"

"I can't just tell you. You have to wake up."

"MOM!" I yelled, unable to control my worry.

She immediately became stern. "Don't you use that tone of voice with me, young man."

"Sorry." I mumbled. Then I broke out into a huge grin. "I've missed hearing that."

She smirked. "I've missed saying it."

"But…" I began. "I think I may have to go back."

She exhaled, closing her eyes. "I'm glad."

"Can I stay for just a while longer though? I want to be with you just a bit longer." I asked, sounding like a little boy asking to sleep in his parents room after hearing a monster.

"Of course, baby."

-:-

Spencer and JJ sat in the room for a long time. They didn't talk much, just the occasional reassurance. Some of the team came in and out, a few at a time, because someone was always with Bella, who knocked out after the shard removal. It was pretty somber and quiet. Then, out of the blue, Andrew moved. It was small, just a twitch of a hand, but JJ and Spencer brightened at just that. Then, his eyelids slowly cracked open. After some blinking, he finally opened his eyes. He stared blankly at JJ and Spencer for a good three minutes.

"Are…are you two dating?" He finally said, his eyes scanning their intertwined arms.

Both agents breathed out a sigh and chuckled of pure relief. "You're awake."

"Avoiding the question, huh?" He muttered shakily.

JJ pressed the nurse-call button and kissed Andrew's forehead. "Thank god you're all right. I'll go let everyone know."

Just as got up to leave, Andrew spoke up again. "Is Bella all right?"

JJ just nodded then left. Andrew turned to Spencer. "When did you start dating?"

Spencer smiled. "Well, first I want to say I'm sorry. How're you feeling? Do you remember what happened? And…since the last time you stayed at Garcia's."

"Don't be sorry. I'm fine. No, I don't remember. I knew it. And…Garcia owes me $15." His voice was incredibly weak, yet his personality was strong as ever.

"You bet Garcia?"

"Yep. I said that you and Jayje would be together by the end of the summer. She didn't agree. I won. Um, why am I here? What happened? And where's Bella?" He asked.

"Fortunately for you, we can answer all three." Said Morgan, who wheeled in Bella on a wheelchair, followed by a nurse.

"Bella." Andrew mumbled, as the nurse set to work on checking Andrews' vitals and such.

Bella waved then waited patiently until the nurse okay-ed Andrew and announced that she'd be back with a doctor when they finished explaining what was going on to the kids. As soon as the door shut behind the nurse, Bella grabbed the wheels of her chair and tried to maneuver her way to Andrew and Spencer.

Derek grabbed her chair, stopping her. "I got you." He quickly slid a few chairs together into a makeshift couch right by the bedside and carefully lifted Bella into it. She groaned, but he ignored her. Once sitting, she grabbed Spencer's arm with one hand and Andrew's with the other.

"So, kiddos, how much do you remember?" They both glanced at one another then shrugged.

"I remember…the plane and…the hotel check in. And that's all." Bella said, shaking her head.

"Me too. But I remember waking up and eating waffles, too." Andrew added.

Morgan nodded. "Okay. Now, guys, the doctor said he could explain it, but I figured you guys would want Reid and I to do it, right?" Both kids nodded.

Spencer spoke up. "If it's ever too much or you want us to stop just say so."

Derek began explaining. He told them about the case and the threat he got and how they left the room. Both Bella and Andrew kept straight faces. Then, when he got to the part about the suitcases, Bella gasped and froze.

"What is it, Bella?" Derek asked.

She didn't reply. She stared forward, her grip on Spencer and Andrew's arms tightening. "Oh god." She breathed. She let go of Andrew's arm like he was on fire.

"Bella?" Reid asked.

"I remember." She choked out.

"Are you okay?" Andrew questioned, hurt.

She nodded numbly. "Uh, yeah. Can we be done now?"

"But-I…I don't…remember." Andrew sputtered, watching Bella struggle to get out of her chair. Spencer and Derek leapt into action, holding her into her chair. She squirmed and yelled to be let free.

"Bella. Bella! Calm down." Morgan yelled. She stopped struggling and looked down, panting.

"What happened?" Reid asked, softly.

"I…you'll hate me." She muttered.

"Bella, that's ridiculous." Morgan assured.

"Not you." She looked up, teary-eyed at Andrew. "He will."

"Why? No, I could never…."

"You can't tell him!" Bella exclaimed. She shook her head, looking down again.

Morgan squatted down to her level. "Bella?" He said quietly enough so only she could hear.

"Yeah?"

"We have to keep talking. You don't have to listen, but we have to tell Andrew what happened."

"Why? If he remembers it was my fault and how many times he had to sacrifice himself to help me…he'd hate me."

"Because, how did you feel when you didn't know?"

"Scared as hell." She whispered.

"And we can't let him feel like that, too. He was there for you. It's your chance to return the favor."

"Okay. Keep going." She mumbled, though she didn't reach out and grab Andrew's hand again. She wouldn't even make eye contact.

Morgan sighed and continued explaining what happened. Andrew sat still and listening, cringing and occasionally shooting Bella a worried look. When Morgan finished, ending when he explained the medical conditions, everyone sat there silently.

"You okay, kid?" Morgan asked Andrew.

He nodded. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine. It's a lot, though. Can…can I talk to Bella for a while? Alone?"

Morgan turned to his niece. "If it's okay with you, sweetie."

Bella gave a weak thumbs up sign and Reid and Morgan left. The kids sat there for a moment, not saying anything.

Finally, Andrew spoke up. "I'm not mad. You are aware of that, right?"

"You aren't?" She muttered.

He sighed. "No. I don't remember exactly, but from what it sounds like, everything I did was my choice."

"I'm sorry." She mumbled.

"It's fine." He replied. "Are…you okay? I mean, it sounded pretty terrible."

"I'm all right. I'm glad you're okay." She blushed. "Being here with you makes it less scary. You were really brave. Braver than you ever should have to be. I'm just sorry you have to go through that."

"For the record, I'd do it again. I'd…uh, do almost anything to protect you Bells." He reached out a grabbed her hand.

Bella looked up, finally meeting his eyes. "You would?"

He smiled ever so slightly. "If you were wearing a tie, I'd tug it right now."

Bella exhaled deeply. "You are _such_ a dork."

Andrew had never heard something so beautiful.

**Ugh. I didn't like that chapter…I feel like it sucked. Ha, anyways, what did you guys think about Season 6 so far. I HATE that JJ is gone :\ Hopefully, the show keeps its awesomeness.**


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